There are some forces which feel that in the interests of humanity, that the genes which are passed to successive generations should be controlled. This was normally proposed to mean choosing which people could, or could not have children, but modern technology suggests other ways of controlling this. There are several main methods of implementing a eugenic policy, and they can be classified as either genetic or somatic manipulation.

Somatic Manipulation

• Sterilizing (or killing) people who have genes which are judged to be unfit.
• Using social means to discourage people who have undesirable genes from breeding. There are many forms of possible discouragement ranging from subsidies given to desirable breeders to breed, to financial disincentives or direct legal punishments given to undesirable breeders who breed.

Interestingly, the the Chinese government is inflicting somatic manipulation on its own people via the one child policy.

Genetic Manipulation

• Screening fetuses for undesirable genes, and choosing to abort or just not choose fetuses which carry them. In cases where one or both parents are known to carry some undesirable genes, only those specific genes might be screened for.
• Replacing selected genes of natural parents by known desirable genes.
• Constructing an individuals from known sets of desirable genes.

There is a great deal of resistance to the control of people's reproduction by society, but not all forms of eugenics rely on this.

There will be pressure to allow people to remove obvious deleterious genes from their own children. Many people with genetic diseases currently choose against having children to avoid imposing these diseases on other people. Many others in the same situation have children anyway.

There will be some who say that society has no night to dictate to people whether they can have children, or whether they carry good, or bad genes. There will be others who say that if society has an obligation to care for people born with genetic diseases, then society has the right to stop people from taking those kind of risks with the unborn. However these people seem likely remain in the minority. The real push may come from the opposite side of the political spectrum.

Having the option to screen zygotes to enable the choosing of healthy ones will be seen as a human rights issue. People will demand the choice to have healthy children, and children born with genetic diseases will criticize a society which imposed that on them.

Even if a society resists the introduction of this technology, when ten thousand people march, hobble or wheel down the streets saying "Why have you inflicted this condition on me?" Then something will be done. Then technology will be made available.

This is likely to be the thin edge of the wedge. When the technology is accepted as normal, then parents will want to use it for desirable instead of just health related issues. Again this will be seen as a human rights issue - the right to choose your children. Even the right to choose which of your own genes are expressed in your children, and then the right to choose which ever other genes are expressed in your children.

In evolutionary terms this is super-sex - the ability to sexually reproduce with many individuals simultaneously, and choose the genes which your children have.

See

• Selfish Gene Theory
• Human Cloning