When deciding whether to utilize genomic technology, there are ethical obstacles to consider. This is particularly true for parents who are contemplating genetic screening for inheritable disease.

These ethical dilemmas don’t just exist for parents--there are ethical dilemmas and guidelines for medical professionals to consider as well. Clinics that specialize in assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) can choose whether to offer sex-selective IVF to their patients. Individual doctors must offer information and guidance to their patients and give the treatment patients ask for, sometimes in direct contrast to their own personal ethics. While attempting to provide care for their patients, medical professionals also may have to confront issues of access, which include language barriers and insurance coverage.

A Life Worth Living tackles these issues and more while examining the effects that the American eugenics movement has had on modern genomic technology.