[dogma1138]

Israel performs pre and post conception screenings for TS and a few other genetic diseases that are common within the Jewish population.

Just calling every genetic screening designed to prevent actual suffering eugenics is pretty nonsensical.

[ars]

Not just Israel - most Jews everywhere will use the screening. If two people are both carriers they suggest they don't marry, normally the screening is checked after the first date.

And regarding eugenics they only screen for diseases that require two carriers, because such a person can marry someone who is not a carrier. Diseases that manifest with a single copy of the gene are specifically not screened for because there's nothing the person can do in that case.

[DoreenMichele]

Just calling every genetic screening designed to prevent actual suffering eugenics is pretty nonsensical.

It's also putting words in my mouth since I said no such thing.

[dogma1138]

Apologies then just your reply seemed to indicate that you were agreeing with these screenings and the termination that follows them being eugenics.

My litmus test for eugenics requires an ideological and social engineering component.

Simply telling parents well if you bring a child to the world they’ll die within 2 years and suffer greatly isn’t that. Neither is offering them other tools such as using a sperm or egg donor or adoption.

[DoreenMichele]

The OP to which I declined to reply says: No one should be born with Tay-Sachs, a genetic disease.

I agreed with a reply to that suggesting such an extreme and unnuanced statement amounted to eugenics since the only means to actually ensure that no child will ever be born with X genetic disease would require rather extreme measures that go far beyond providing testing and options.

[s1artibartfast]

There is a difference between saying something shouldn't happen, and it should be prevented by any means necessary.

I really shouldn't smoke. I don't endorse SS officers killing me if I do.

[zionic]

> Just calling every genetic screening designed to prevent actual suffering eugenics is pretty nonsensical.

It’s also not wrong, if we’re being totally honest.

Things are either eu (beneficial) or dys (harmful) genic.

The bottom 75% of the IQ curve has been poisoned against the word “eugenics” to the point that they can’t even have a basic conversation about things as sane as “genetic screening for debilitating illness” without completely breaking down.

[DoreenMichele]

The bottom 75% of the IQ curve has been poisoned against the word “eugenics” to the point that they can’t even have a basic conversation about things as sane as “genetic screening for debilitating illness” without completely breaking down.

This is a really not good way to engage with this topic. I'm not happy seeing this kind of framing on HN of what is an extremely sensitive topic for many people and with good reason.

[Kye]

Agreed. I think some people in the pro-eugenics crowd mistake a broad anti-eugenics stance as an ignorant denial of possible benefits. I think it could be good and fine, but I don't trust humans to make those decisions. I don't trust myself to make that call.

[speleding]

So, how would you frame it? I realise it's a sensitive discussion that can easily degenerate, but the subject should not be taboo on HN.

[dekhn]

I don't think there's any real venue in which a discussion of permanent germline modification of humanity (or in-utero modification that affects all cells) can be rationally discussed. I've never seen any productive discussion of this in any context. It's one of the few issues that dives so deeply to the core of the human value system that it's truly challenging to come up even with the terms of the debate.

That said I expect that in the future, for many genetically inherited diseases, parents will be given the option to address the problem without termination, so long as the solution seems to be exceptionally safe and highly effective (IE, 99.999% confidence the outcome will be positive). I don't think people will see that as "eugenics", although there have been a few press campaigns that have done so.