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There is a long and ugly history of the misuse of genetic theories and science to justify racism. Many people tend to seek confirmation of their prejudices in scientific studies, and continued efforts are needed to counter this. The vast powers of the new human genetic technologies make such efforts more imperative than ever.

Cloning, inheritable genetic modification (IGM), and other new genetic and reproductive technologies raise special concerns for racial and ethnic groups that are, or have been, targets of discrimination:

"Old-style" racism Ideological racists such as David Duke, former National Director of the Ku Klux Klan, and sociologist Glayde Whitney, before his death, became vocal advocates of cloning, IGM, and the new eugenics.

Increased discrimination through "genism" Efforts to identify particular genes and obtain statistical correlations between these and behaviorial and social data could lead to gross abuse.

A new and more powerful eugenics At the extreme, efforts to link particular genes with behavioral and social data could lead to calls for those genes to be eliminated from the human species.


Related Articles

"World Conference on Racism Addresses Human Genetic Engineering," Genetic Crossroads (#20, October 3, 2001)
Newsletter >> Archive >> Issue 20


Off-Site Links

Information on the history of eugenics and racism:

Information on David Duke, Glayde Whitney, and the new racist eugenics:

Information on genetic discrimination and "genism":

Organizations addressing the new human genetic technologies:

  • West Harlem Environmental Action conference, Human Genetics, Environment, and Communities of Color: Ethical and Social Implications(February 2002), co-sponsored by the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the NIEHS Center for Environmental Health at the Mailman School of Public Health (Columbia University), and the Harlem Health Promotion Center.
    http://www.weact.org/genetics/index.html
  • Public Interest Biotechnology ("Biotech for Communities")
    http://www.pibiotech.org/index.html
  • The Committee on Women, Population, and the Environment (CWPE) is a multi-racial alliance of feminist activists, health practitioners and scholars. They have been actively involved in the critique of the use of PGD for sex selection. The committee has also maintained a commitment to critical engagement with other genetic and reproductive technologies.
    http://www.cwpe.org/

Marcy Darnovksy, "Designer babies, genetic discrimination, and the patenting of human life: the perils amidst the promise of the biotech revolution," a presentation at the West Harlem Environmental Action conference on environmental justice, broadcast on Democracy Now.
http://www.webactive.com/webactive/pacifica/demnow/dn20020206.html


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