XYY Controversy
The XYY controversy started with the eugenics movement which is the study of or belief that there is a possibility of improving the qualities of the human population. Although this may sound like scientific progress, it was a frequent source of ethical discussions and questions. One problem was legally authorizing the project which was met with extreme criticism, including many questions of the morality of eugenics. The main reason for this was that the Nazis used eugenics in horrific ways, which resulted in a temporary halt in research of human genetics. By the 1960s, scientists began to experiment with human genetics again. Many supported the efforts to find explanations for a wide range of human “deficiencies”, such as Down-syndrome. There was a large growth of genetic engineering technologies and potential uses of the information. It was expanded through Human Genome Project, and it brought on more ethical issues. In 1961 the first case of the XYY chromosome was found, and many myths formed. For example, it was said that males with XYY were inclined to violent behavior. It was called the “criminal chromosome” because there were reports of serial killers that had the XYY chromosome. In the late 1960s, two researchers, Walzer and Gerald, began screening and testing newborn males with the XYY, and continued to study them throughout their life. This became a very controversial subject, and in 1974 a group led by an organization called Science for the People tried to get the research stopped. The organization claimed that the research was not essential, flawed, and they believed that it labeled the children as socially unwelcomed. However, the research was not stopped even with the help of the Harvard’s institutional review boards, so Science for the People went to the public press. This was successful, and the research was stopped.
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Find out (and tell us) more about the eugenics movement in this country. When did it take place? What were the issues? Who was considered not worthy?
ReplyDeleteI think it was wrong to label the males with the XYY chromosome as violent or criminals. It probably made the boys as kids feel unwelcomed. Also if a boy is told his whole life that he is a criminal he might start to believe it and do violent things.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mary. A boy with XYY chromosomes might not turn out to be violent, bu if he is told that he will be and made fun of for that, he might turn into a violent person. Just because a few serial killers had the XYY chromosome doesn't automatically mean that every male with XYY will turn out that way. This is a very unethical statement.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mary and Brittni. A boy should not be catagorized as a criminal because of his chromosome label.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that it was wrong to label this boy as a criminal. I don't think that the type of chromosome he has makes him a criminal. This could encourage him to do bad things in the future.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Assuming that males are criminals as a result of the label of their chromosomes is unethical and unfair. If the boys are being told what they are thought of at a young age, they are more likely to refer to violence in bad situations.
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