article on medical ethics

Hi Nicky

Just wondered what you thought of this.
http://www.ethox.org.uk/research/genetics/is-the-prevention-or-cure-of-autism-a-morally-justified-quest

s the prevention or cure of autism a morally justified quest?

Virginia Bovell

Affecting 1% of the population, autism spectrum conditions are the focus
of extensive contemporary genetic and other aetiological investigation.
Some scientists have raised the possibility of advances in knowledge
leading to the ability to prevent autism, while in the UK it may soon be
mandatory for couples using Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis to choose
embryos that are not affected with markers indicating serious
disability. The ethical implications of advances in our genetic
understanding of autism, which may in due course lead to the possibility
for antenatal screening, are all the more significant because of the
emergence of a pro-diversity autism lobby. Its members positively affirm
not only the equal rights of autistic people to exist but – in some
quarters – assertively state the advantages of autism relative to being
'neurotypical'. To date this polarisation of perspective has not been
explored within the context of contemporary debates in medical ethics,
which is why I have chosen to investigate it in greater depth. This
research project will aim to describe and dissect the beliefs, values
and assumptions that underpin contrasting viewpoints, and to clarify
which issues need to be explicitly debated, to ensure that developments
in research, policy and practice are driven with an awareness of the
ethical underpinnings and their implications for people with autism,
their families and the wider community.