1999 Genetics, Law and Society Conference, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Genes, Women, Equality
by Mahowald, Mary Briody
Oxford University Press

Genetics is not gender neutral in its impact. Mahowald cites a wide range of biological and psychosocial examples that reveal its different impact on men and women, especially with regard to reproduction and caregiving. She examines the extent to which these differences are associated with fender injustice, arguing for positions that reduce inequality between the sexes. The critical perspective Mahowald brings to this analysis is an egalitarian interpretation of feminism that demands attention to inequalities arising from racism, ethnocentricism, albleism, and classism as well as sexism. Eschewing a notion of equality as sameness, Mahowald defines equality as attribution of the same value to different objects.

Gender justice, she claims imputes the same value to men and women, despite their differences. It can only be maximized by practical efforts to equalize the burdens and benefits associated with genetics. The topics considered include: participation in research, allocation of genetic services, cultural differences, sex selection, misattributed paternity, prenatal and preimplantation diagnosis, carrier testing, genetic interventions, genetic disabilities, preferences for genetic ties to offspring, genetic susceptibility to late onset disorders, behavioral genetics, genetic discrimination in employment and insurance, and human cloning. Cases, both real and concocted, are used to illustrate the questions addressed.

Contents: 
Introduction: Genetics is not Gender Neutral

1. A Feminist Standpoint for Genetics
2. Women in Genetics Research
3. Women in Clinical Genetics
4. Gender Justice Genetics
5. Allocation of Genetic Services and the Feminization of Poverty
6. Ethnicity, Cultural Differences and Sex Selection
7. Genetic vs. Gestational Ties to Children
8. Genetic Disabilities, Feminism, and Caregiving
9. Cystic Fibrosis and Misattributed Paternity
10. Sickle Cell Disease and Carrier Testing
11. Genetic Testing for Susceptibility to Breast Cancer
12. Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis and Abortion
13. Genomic Alternations and Women
14. Behavioral Genetics and Alcohol Consumption in Women
15. Employment, Health Insurance, and the Public/Private Distinction
16. Human Cloning, Women and Parenthood
Conclusion: Toward Gender Equality in Genetics

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