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

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Affiliations

  • 1. CERMES 3 7 rue Guy Moquet, 94801 Villejuzifcedex, France.
      Authors
    • Löwy I 1
    (1 author)

History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, 01 Jan 2013, 35(1):99-104
PMID: 23888832 

Abstract 

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.

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