Prenatal diagnosis and the transformation of the epistemic space of human heredity.

The introduction of new techniques of prenatal diagnosis in the 1960s transformed already back then, and continues to transform, the epistemic space of human heredity. These techniques - like karyotyping, amniocentesis, obstetrical ultrasound, and, more recently, analysis of free foetal DNA in maternal blood - modify the way in which people influence the transmission of traits to their offspring and thus have the potential to define what a "normal," "acceptable," or "valuable" human being is.

Citation

Ilana Löwy. Prenatal diagnosis and the transformation of the epistemic space of human heredity. History and philosophy of the life sciences. 2013;35(1):99-104

Mesh Tags

PMID: 23888832

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