ACCORDING to one dystopian vision of where advances in genetics are taking us, society will descend into a monoculture of super-smart people with gleaming white teeth.
The parents of children with Down’s syndrome are at the sharp end of the debate about where to draw the line between selecting perfection, preventing disability and accepting diversity. With the rise of prenatal screening, they fear for their children’s well-being in a world where there are fewer people like them. This unease could deepen with the realisation (see “Prenatal treatment for Down’s works in mice”) that some Down’s symptoms could be treated…
