Browsing by Author "Ukena - Kotze, Alexandra Rosanna Gertrude"
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- ItemMoral perspectives on the problem of elective D/deafness(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-12) Ukena - Kotze, Alexandra Rosanna Gertrude; Van Niekerk, Anton A.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Philosophy.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: As empirical knowledge is progressing within the field of genomic medicine, the scope of medical treatments that are able to diagnose, cure or prevent disability widen and as a result, the questions regarding the ethical permissibility surrounding these procedures become more complex. While reproductive technologies were originally designed to assist with issues such as infertility or test embryos for genetic diseases before implantation, it has now become clear that these technologies can offer an even wider array of reproductive options. Morally speaking, it seems that parents have a duty to use reproductive technologies responsibly and should refrain from explicitly choosing a child with a disability. The claim that parents have a moral obligation to choose the “best” possible child has been very controversial. This thesis specifically focuses on the ethical questions that arise in cases where culturally D/deaf parents express the wish to ensure the birth of a deaf child by making use of modern prenatal screening methods such as Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) that could in principle fulfil this wish. Selecting for a disability and particularly deafness through prenatal screening methods triggers a morally complex debate, firstly because the parent’s wish is based on the belief that deafness is not a disability and secondly, because the practice of prenatal selection for disability itself is questionable on the grounds that this selection could possibly harm the future child. In this thesis, the belief that deafness is not a disability will be subjected to critique by presenting both sides of the debate, on the one hand showing that our perception of normality is a concept that is shaped by various historical influences and contexts and on the other, suggesting that deafness, regardless of definition, is a very real limitation and therefore a disability that should be treated as such. If it can be shown that deafness is indeed a disability, then it follows that the use of reproductive technologies for the sole purpose of selecting a deaf embryo over a hearing one is unethical. The aim of this thesis is firstly to advance our understanding of the so-called disability challenge by bringing together information from various sources and perspectives, highlighting the ethical, social and legal issues regarding reproductive choices and secondly, to give a suggestion on how to deal with these choices. The arguments imply the need for stricter and more elaborate guidelines in terms of public regulation surrounding available genetic information and a reassessment of parental moral obligation in terms of reproductive liberty.