Parental Responsibility in the Context of Neuroscience and Genetics (International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine Book 69)

Should parents aim to make their children as __normal__ as possible to increase their chances to “fit in”? Are neurological and mental health conditions a part of children’s identity and if so, should parents aim to remove or treat these? Should they aim to instill self-control in their children? Should prospective parents take steps to insure that, of all the children they could have, they choose the ones with the best likely start in life? This volume explores all of these questions and more. Against the background of recent findings and expected advances in neuroscience and genetics, the extent and limits of parental responsibility are increasingly unclear. Awareness of the effects of parental choices on children’s wellbeing, as well as evolving norms about the moral status of children, have further increased expectations from (prospective) parents to take up and act on their changing responsibilities. The contributors discuss conceptual issues such as the meaning and sources of moral responsibility, normality, treatment, and identity. They also explore more practical issues such as how responsibility for children is practiced in Yoruba culture in Nigeria or how parents and health professionals in Belgium perceive the dilemmas generated by prenatal diagnosis. Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Parental Responsibility: A Moving Target....Pages 1-12 Normative Responsibilities: Structure and Sources....Pages 13-33 Disorders Are Reduced Normativity Emerging from the Relationship Between Organisms and Their Environment....Pages 35-54 Advances in Genetics and Neuroscience: A Challenge for Personalizing Child and Youth Health Care?....Pages 55-72 Raising Self-Controlled Children. A Philosophical Analysis of Neuroscience and Social Psychology Perspectives....Pages 73-90 Direct Electrical Stimulation of the Developing Brain: Who Decides?....Pages 91-103 Neurological Diversity and Epigenetic Influences in Utero. An Ethical Investigation of Maternal Responsibility Towards the Future Child....Pages 105-119 Prenatal Child Protection. Ethics of Pressure and Coercion in Prenatal Care for Addicted Pregnant Women....Pages 121-131 The Confused Stork: Gender Identity Development, Parental and Social Responsibilities....Pages 133-151 The Lack of an Obligation to Select the Best Child: Silencing the Principle of Procreative Beneficence....Pages 153-166 Parental Responsibility and the Principle of Procreative Beneficence in Light of Assisted Reproductive Technologies....Pages 167-187 Should Parents Take Active Steps to Preserve Their Children’s Fertility?....Pages 189-205 Family Responsibilities and Genetic Disorders in Yoruba Culture: The Example of Sickle Cell Anaemia....Pages 207-217 Parental Autonomy and Responsibility in the Context of Prenatal Diagnosis. Views and Attitudes of Belgian Healthcare Professionals and Families....Pages 219-236 Back Matter....Pages 237-246