Episode 31: Genomics (feat. Joel Michael Reynolds)
Released August 3, 2021
From 23andMe to prenatal testing, genetic testing is everywhere these days! The use of these tests raises important concerns about "velvet eugenics" and the value of human life. In this episode, Ellie and David address the ethics and politics of genomics. They talk with ethicist Dr. Joel Michael Reynolds, an expert on disability studies and genomics, about why your zip code is a much better indicator of health outcomes than your genome. Plus, Joel unpacks why genetic sequencing can cause anxiety for new parents and further social inequities.
Interested in the works discussed? You can find them here:
Joel Michael Reynolds, "Health for Whom? Bioethics and the Challenge of Justice for Genomic Medicine"
Joel Michael Reynolds, "Genopower: On Genomics, Disability, and Impairment"
Sivan Tamir, "Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing: Ethical-Legal Perspectives and Practical Considerations"
Jenny Reardon, The Postgenomic Condition
Rosemarie Garland Thomson, "Welcoming The Unexpected," in Human Flourishing in an Age of Gene Editing, ed. Erik Parens and Josephine Johnson
National Human Genome Research Institute, "Human Genome Project FAQ"
Guy Standing, The Precariat: The New Dangerous Class
