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22008 NJC prelim Ih this article Johann Hari writes about UBERAL EUGENICS

1 A decade after the creation of Dolly the sheep, we are livingin a glorious age of liberationbiology. New technologies are. unveiled by doctors almost every week that make itpossible to reduce the sum of human suffering in ways that would have seemed like StarTrek science-fICtion when Dolly first came into our world. Pre-i'nplantation GeneticDiagnosis makes it possible for couples with terrible hereditary diseases to have children 5without condemning them to a life of suffering. Stem cell research makes it possible forpeople with ruined spines to have some hope that they may walk again. Genetic screeninghas ensured hundreds of children are alive today because 'saviour siblings' were createdas a match. Some time soon, infertile couples may be able to rproduce clones to pass ontheir genes. Human life is being extended and enhanced in ways that spread joy and harm 10nobody.2 Leon Kass, the chairman of George Bush's Council of Bioethics, recently summarised- some of the greatest biological advances of our time: "The Pill. In-vitro fertilisation. Bottledembryos. Surrogate wombs. Cloning. Genetic screening. Genetic manipulation. Organ

harvesting. Mechanical spare parts. Brain implants. Ritalin1for the young, Vl3gra for the 15old, Pmzac for everyone. And, to leave this vale of tears, a little extra Morphineaccompanied by Muza~.. But Kass was not offering this as a joyous hymn of praise. No-he was offering it as a condemnation. He is not alone. There is a large constituency ofpeople scattered across the wortd who treat the doctors pioneering these treatments asmoral criminals. Amazing though it might Seem, they want to stop aUhuman beings from 20using technologies that will make our children healthier, cleverer and less likely to bedisabled. This movement of bio-Luddites stretches from the White House to radicaldisability activists to the Vatican, and ifthe decent pro-science majority do not fight back,the bio-Ludddites will win.

3 To understand what this willmean, we need to look at what would have happened if the 25bio-conservatives had prevailed a generation ago. The very same people describeddoctors who performed the first organ -transplants as 'body snatchers' and 'grave robbers'.They predicted that the sicklywould swiftlybe bumped off in their hospital beds to harvesttheir hearts and livers and lungs. If they had won, tens of thousands of the people readingthis article would be dead. When in-vitrofertilisation went mainstream, people like Kass 30said it was 'playing God' to conceive a child in a test tube, and that the relationshipbetween children and parents would be "irreparablydamaged'. Kass stiI says we shouldheed the 'urgh!"factor, and trust 'the wisdom of our own repugnance'- l'Pfe-rationalrepugnance quickly fades once we see the life-enhanc:ing benefits at new t~ Soare there any more set .sible objections to these life-extending therapies. and how can they 35be answered?

4 Some of these criticisms are simply based on misconceptio.as. Some peop1e believehuman clones win be carbon-copies of their originals, or 'robots' and 'automatons',Scaremongers like Francis Fukuyama have even conjured hilarious visions of 'armies ofdoned Hitlers""But clones, once they can be safely created, some years fromnow,wiDnot 40be replicas, with the same personality and memories as their originals. There are, after an,already hundreds of thousands of human clones in Britain.They are called identical twins,and we have no difficulty understanding that although they share a genetic profile, they arevery different people. Does anybody believe they are robots? A clone of Hitler would look a1 Ritalin: a drug used to treat attention defICitdisorders.2Muzak:a tenn for any type ofbland. monotonous background music.o NATIONAL JUNIOR COLLEGE 2008

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3bit like him, but would have none of his views, experiences or beliefs. Genes do not 45exclusively maketh the man. A.string of dystopian fictions, like Kazuo Ishiguro's 'Never LetMe Go' or the Ewan MacGregor movie 'The Island', haye imagined clones to havehorrendous lives. But they are based on a flawed premise, that we would treat cloneS aslesser beings, not deserving of the basic rights of the rest of us. Why should that happen?We do not treat in-vitro fertilisation babies as sub-human, the way some people predicted 50. we would. Once we grant clones full human rights. these nightmares melt away.

5 The criticism that deserves more careful consideration comes from disability rights activistslike Adrienne Asch. They argue that. this attempt to eradicate disability is an assault ondisabled people. By trying to eradiqite disabilities, we are saying disabled people areworth less, 'errors in the gene pool', aM clearing the way for them to be treated even more 55badly. But is this true? By making sure that no more mothers take thalidomide duringpregnancy, are we implicitly saying that thalidomide people have worthless lives andshould be killed? Of course not. We are simply saying that people are more likely to beable to live the kind of life they want to with fully formed arms and legs. By ensuring thatthe number of able-bodied babies is maximised, we are simply acknowledging that, 60however harsh it might seem to say it, lacking an ability to hear or see or walk is not simplya difference. It is a disability nobody would voluntarily choose, and that you are better offwithout. Nor does the evidence suggest greater screening and 'treatment will lead to the -remaining disabled people being treated worse. Since amniocentesis3 was introduced,people with Down syndrome are, if anything, treated better. 65

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6 The only criticism that really lingers in the mind comes from egalitarian critics. They warnthat human biotechnology may create a worfd divided between the rich, with their'Genetically Modified Babies', and the poor, who are lumbered with the random flaws ofnature. The idea of human equality will, they say, melt in the biotech labs. But there is ananswer to this. There are already inequalities thrown up by nature. I am nowhere near as 70clever as Amartya Sen, nor as good-looking as, say, Tom Cruise. Does that mean humanequality is nonsense? No-my belief in it is strong enough to cope with smarter, betterlooking people. The solution to unequal access to biotech cannot be the Stalin-stylelevelling down proposed by the biotech-banners. We did not react to the invention ofmedicine, which similarly benefited only the rich at first, by banning it. In England, we 75reacted by creating the National Health Service so everyone could access it.

7 These worries do not outweigh the obvious, incalculable benefits of biotechnology. And weshould be honest enough to call this attempt to improve the genetic lot of humanity by itsname, liberal eugenics. It has nothing to do with the evil' of Nazi eugenics, which wasimposed by the state and concerned not with producing healthier babies but with deranged 80race-theories. No, this new brand is voluntarily entered into by parents, and it is motivatedby love, not hate. The risk of not following this path, and faiflOg to W1COVeI"ures for athousand curses on humanity, is far'greater than the risk of acting. Tnose who want to stopthese natural, beautiful acts of love should be shunned and shamed.

3 Amniocentesis: a procedure i1whichfluidis removed fromthe womb of a pregnant woman to check the unborn babyfordefects.o NATIONAL JUNIOR COLLEGE 2008

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-NATIONAL JUNIOR COLLEGE

PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION 2008GENERAL PAPERANSWERSCHEME

1)What point is the author making when he refers to 'Star Trek science fiction' (lines 3-4)? (1)

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Lift Suggested Answer[We now have access to technologies!New technologies are unveiled by means! medical advances that can relievel alleviate pain! misery/doctor.>almost every week that make it agony/ human ills in ways]possible to reduce the sum of human Isuffering in ways that would have that would have seemed like fantasy / been deemedseemed like Star Trek science-tlcrion unbelievable!unreallunimaginablel unachievable in the past.when Dolly first came into our world.

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2) Inwhat ways has liberal eugenics 'extended and enhanced' human life (line 10)?Use your own words as faras possible.. . . (3)Note: any 3 for I mark each

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Lifts Suggested AnswerI) [Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis] It is feasible fur those who are predisposed to illnesses to havechildren who will not have the samelidenticalmakes it possible for couples with temole predispositionlillnesshereditary diseases to have children - .without condemning them to a life ofsuffering.2) [Stemcell research] increases the likelihood/chance tht those with physicaldefects/disabilities can be curedllook forward to a curemakes it possible for people with ruinedspines to have some hope that they may ORwalk again. - -- means that people with spinal injuries c look forward tobeing cured/get better3) [Genetic screening] Children with tenninal illnesses can be given a new lease onlife tbroughlby means_ofdonations from a compatible donor /has ensured hundreds 0f children are brother/sister conceived! born for at pUIposealive today because "saviour siblings"were created as a match.4) [Cloning] Couples who are unable to conceivelhave children! offspringwill be able to create duplicates of themselvesSome time soon, infertile couples may beable toproduce clones topass on theirgenes.

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3) The author comments on Leon J(ass' summary of the greatest biological advances of our time (lines 13-17) bysaying Kass 'was not offering f!l~ as ajoyous hymn of praise. No - he was offering it as a condemnation.' (lines17-l8). Select two pieces of evidence fromKass' quote to show that he was condemning the biological advancesof our time. Justify your choices. (4)N 2 b h I kfi b" 1 arkfo I

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# .Pieces of Evidence from the Passage Explanation1) [links between] musak and morphine: The tone is mocking - Kass makes/ givesor death; bioteclmologies and drugs inappropriate links/ combinations (thatare reductive! belittle) the advancesNumbers 2-5 overall: all that the answers need is to capture the idea that the word ordetail is negative I dehumanising when applied to people;2) Bottled embryos Putting humans in bottles makes themsound like products/subjects of anexperiment3) Manipulation Word has negative connotations when

applied to humans / makes humans soundlike things/objects4) Harvesting Word is nonnally used for crops -inappropriate fur humans/ makes humanssound like objects! things5) Mechanical spare parts In thiscomparisonhuman" are seen asmachines which' des peopleNumbers 6-10 overaD: all answers need is to capture the idea of escapism or misuse!inappropriate use6) Ritalin furthe young We misuse/abuse drugsl we think drugs!science can solve/ fix everything / we are

teaching young people! next generation torely on drugs (instead of their ownresources)7) Viagra fur the old We use the miracles of technologyinappropriately/ we are UD\\.-illingo facethe natural process of ageing8) Prozac for everyone We are unwilling to face difficulties in. . life/ we expect pel'lll3Dmthappinesswithout aoy efi>rt on our parts (just pop a

pillY we use chugs as a cru1eb9) a little extra motphine We refuse to accept pam as a part oflifel. . we expect everything'1(}be made easy forus (even deam)10) (accompanied by) muzak Muzak! music is used to fill silence, actsas a distraction! prevents us from facingour fears/ prevents us from thinking!makes even death seem unimportant! notserious

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4) What does the author's use of'decenf imply about his opponents (line 23)1 (1). He implies that they are immoral/unethical5) Explain what Kass means when he says "we should heed the 'urgh!' factor, and trust 'the wisdom of our ownrepugnance'" (lines 32-33)1 Use your O~"1lwords as far as possible. (2)

-Lif~Weshouldtrust I heed. Suggested AnswerWe should follow/listen w/ believe in! be guided by our

[own instinctive/ innate/ gut] feelings ofdisgust! abholTence/aversion / repulsionhe 'urgh factor' 1 the 'wisdom of ourown reoumance

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6) Using matcriallrOln pllragraphs 4 and 5, suml11arisethe criticisms oflibcral eugenics and the writet's arguJilenl~in response 10them.Write your summary in not more than J50 wm'ds, lIotcounting the opening words which arc given bdow. Use your own words

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7) What do the egalitarian critics mean by '~e idea of human equality will...melt in thebiotech labs" (line 69). Use your own words as far as possible. (I)

2 out of 3 points get ~ mark.

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Lifts Suggested Answer[Egalitarian critics warn that human The concept of there being no differencesbioteclmology may create a world between people! that people are moredivided between the rich, with their similar than different! that everyone should'Genetically Modined Babies', and the get! have the same chancespoor who are lumbered with the randomflaws of nature] ----- !idea of human equality

Melt will disappear/ vanish! cease to existin the biotech labs when access ro! availability of teclmo10gycreates differences! allows some to be

better than others/to have more options inlife

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8) IdentifYtwo words or phrases fiom lines 81 to 84.th.atth~ author uses to reinforce hisargument that the new technologies are 'motivated by love, not hate' (line 81-82).Explain each of your choices. (2)

Note:Y2for choiceY2for explanation

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I)Voluntarily [entered into by parents] These technologies are developed-ely!willingly and supported by parents'conviction! belief that they are beneficial(underlying assumption is that parents wantthe best for their childrent2) Risk of not following this path! risk of When parents choose to take a risk or -acting chance, it is outoflovel caring for their- children because withno risk taken! no- action, there may be a negative outcome3)Uncover cures Cures help humanity! are positive! tryiQgtofind them is largely motivated by carelconcern/love-4)Natural They are part 0 f normal progressi Iimprovement in human condition!evolution5)Beautiful Beautiful things are associated withgoodness! positive word

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9) Give the meaning of the following words as they are used in the passage. You maywrite your answer in one word or a short phrase. . . . (5)

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Vocabulary 1 mark Y2mark 0(5 marks)New technologies Made public Iare unveiled by Revealeddoctors Uncoveredpar 1, line 2 Introduced(verb)Doctors pioneerinl!: Trail blazingthese treatments . Initiating- 1par 2, line 19 .(verb)If the bio- - Triumphedconservatives had Succeededprevailedpar 3, line 26(verb)Relationship Permanentlybetween children Irreversiblyand parents. .. Inevocablyirreparablv In a way that cannO!damaged be fixedpar 3, line 32 -(adverb)Who are lumbered Arbitrarywith the random Inconsistentflaws of nature Unpredictablepar 6, line 68(adjective)

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Application Question. .10) Johann Hari takes a strong stand in support ofliberal eugenics.How convincing do you find his arguments in light of your own experience andknowledge? (9)

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Band Requirement (I) (8)C Candidates have(1-3) }> Taken a ta-od on how convincing Hari's arguments are}> Identified at least one point from the relevant passage to kick start thediscussion

-Tends to merely be a reference to tbe views of the writer by way of summarising orrestating the text.. .Misinterpretation of the ideas raised in the question or passage.is present

B In a Provided eva1uationby .wayof explaining and providing examples for theirviews,although it may be unconvincing, simplistic, superficial or parochial..

A Scripts with the following descriptors would warrant the highest grade:(7-9) }> Very clear evaluation of each of the writers' views, developing ideas to- logical conclusions with ample elaboration, personal insight and aptDlustratioo.}> Balanced response provided. Balance =when student shows awareness of otherviews. Must lookat how some parts are not criticized. -}> Good range(greater sophistication in the evaluation ofpoints and the treatment of the content)

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'I\..ssiblc points nom passage Ideas for evaluation / examples---:0-Paragraph I CriticiseI)Humanlife is beingextendedand . I)'Hann nobody' - Theuseof aner.hancIj inwaysthatspread joy and absoluteweakensargumentash3nn nobody there are examples ofpeoplebeing harmed2)Exampleof 'savioursiblings . 1)Exarnple -a mother in the US issuing both doctor and hospital forhastening her brain dead son'si death. When life support was cutoff: he did not die, and afterwaiting for close to 20 hours, thedoctor decided to hasten his deathI as the organs were deteriorating.i Attending nurses testified that he, was moaning and seemed to bei suffering as they kept giving him, more andmoredrugs inanIj attempt tokill him! . 1)Exploitation of the poor/disadvantaged as organ donors is, a growing problem in poverty

I stricken areas of India, forI exampleI . 2)'saviour siblings' - What isI -i needed (like bone marrow) for theI stricken sibling is usuallyI

harvested when the donor! ('saviour sibling') is still tooI young to understand; theii procedures are often extremelyI

painfulI . Whole concept of having a child\ .solely so it can serve as a dODOrs! very questionable ethically, .

Example- again in a UScase. atc:c:nwho bad been fighting caoca; br years (andwasconsidered, terminalbydoctors)gottiredof, seeinghissisterused repeatedlyj . fur pain donor procedures and! tried to take his parents to court toI

prevent them&omextendingbothhis own andhis sister's sufferingIParagraph2 Criticise! 3)K.ass'examplescanbe critiquedas to . Mention of drugs such as IUtalinI theirabilityto 'spreadjoy andhanu or Viagra can be used to critiqueI nobody' - ie- do youagreewithKassor Hari as people do over-use/abuse

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writer- are thesegoodor bad them. Hari assumes we will use thesenncdthe fim organtransplantsas pitvent abusesof organdonation,.bodysnatchers'and 'graverobbers'. ... . There are examples of resistanceIf theyhadwon,tensof thousandsof the tQbeneficialchanges;religiouspeople,readingthisarticlewouldbe dead objections to stem ceUresearch ismostwell knownCriticise. Writer chooses only examples thatfit his arguments and ignoresinstances when science wasdestructivel mistakes weremadelproblems have arisen

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7)Pre-rational repugnance quickly fadesonce we see the life-enhancing benefits ofnew technologies8)So are there any more sensibleobjections1 " . '

Paragraph 8Opponents .misconceptions' aboutcloning -9)Clones will be .robots or automatons'.annies of cloned Hitlers'clones ... have horrendous livesHis answers -IO)There are after all .,. human clones.. .they are called identical twinsGenes do not exclusively maketh the man

Piob~~h S ,11)Disability rightSactivists. critX:isms-By trying to eradicate disabilities. we aresaying disabled people are worthless ...clearing the way for them to be treatedeven more badlyHis answers -12)By ensuring that the number of able-bodied babies is maximized, we aresimply acknowledging that, howeverharsh it might seem to say it, lacking an

. Examples - there is.aproblemwith poor, uneducated peoplebeing exploited for their organs. Statement that without thetechnology tens of thousands ofreaders would be dead isdeliberately meant to shock!jolt-another propaganda techniqueCriticise .. 7)Logicl fuulty argument -doesn'taddress/answer the underlyingpoint. Instead he argues forpracticality over morality, tellingus to ignore our ~pugnance,rather than giving us reasons whyour instincts are wrong. 8)Insults those who disagree withhim by inferring that their -arguments are notsensible/rational

Support. 9)Identical twin point is one mostcan recognize as appropriate andacceptable. IO)Studies clearly show thatenvironment does playa key rolein how a person turns out (studiesdone on identical twins separatedat birth)Criticise. 9)Ignores idea that clones may becreated for spare parts (ignoresgenuine concerns) .. 9)Focuses on extremes. the mrecases (Hitler)Support. 12)11seems logical that we wantto minimize physical andemotional suffering if possible. 12)Example - Implants exist tocorrect certain types of deafuess;most parents welcome the chancefor their child to fit into thehearing world but there areparents (usually deaf themselves)who refuse the procedure becauseit indicates that hearing is

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ability to hear or see or walk is notsimply a difference. It isa disabilitynobody would voluntarily choose, andthat you are better off without.Paragraph 6Egalitarian critics -13)Theywarn that human bio-technologymay create a world divided between therich, with their 'genetically modifiedbabies', and the poor14)Stalin-style leveling down proposedby the bio-tech banner.;His 8!1swer.;15)We reacted by creating the NationalHealth Service so everyone could accessit16)There are already inequalities thrownup by nature

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Paragraph 717)Liberal eugenics... has nothing to dowith the evil of Nazi eugenics, wbicb wasimposed by the St3te and coocemed not'Miabproducing be2JdUer babies but withde:l3nged race thc:ories18)The risk of not following this path,and tailing to uncover cures for athousand Ctpseson humanity, is fargreater than the risk of acting19)This new brand is ... motivated bylove not hate20)Those who want to stop these natural,beautiful acts oflove should be shunned .

preferred to deafness)

Support. 15) Example - Singapore'sMedisave scheme. 16)There is no denying thatpeople are not all born the same{some defects, like severe mentalretardati~n, CaMotbe fixedCriticise. 14)With use of Stalin's name, hepicks his opponents most extreme. andinappropriateargumenttodiscredit them. 13&15)NHS example is aconvincing one, showing that in alargely egalitarian/democraticsociety, it is possible to makeprovisions for all; however, hefails to take into account that therewill likely be a divide betweenrich and poor countries. 13&15)Example - Today the poorin undeveloped countries do nothave access todrugs, medicaltechnology available to all indeveloped countries withsocialized medicine (such as UK.Canada)

Support. 18)ClearIy, in the past, thebenefits ~ve outweigl}cllifterisks

Criticism. 11)Opponents (ie. those who \ig'ethe Nazis as an example of thedangers of eugenics) are linkedwith insanity, 'deranged'. 17)lgnores the fact tbat Hitler'sactions had support and not just inGermany (Russia, Poland);history teaches us that there arepeople who will use technology toremove those they consider'inferior'. 19)1tis motivated by the almightydollar; it is capitalism, with

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and shamed

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companies racing to come up withthe newest wonder drug!procedure to rake in billions (touse author's type oflanguage!). 20)'biotechnology'(Iine 77)-'natural' - contradicts himself. 20)Shammg and shunning thosewho disagree with you typifieswriter's intolerant attitudetowards any who disagree withhim (makes it sound like an old-fashioned witch hunt)

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