More "Read This Book"

In Chapter 3 of Neither Beast Nor God, Gilbert Meilaender elaborates a point that has been made before: the widespread availability of abortion of the "defective" makes every child, even those born alive, a matter of choice, not love.  Even the youngest among us must prove the worth of being.  Prospectively unproductive?  No soup for you!

No wonder Americans (over)work themselves to death: we're afraid that if we don't continue to crank it out, lack of productivity will lead someone to pull the plug.

Human "needful freedom," our peculiar state of embodied freedom, causes us to reach out to others: "the very prospect of preserving one's life requires a turn outward . . . to exist as individuals we must not try to be only individuals." (16)  The goal of reproductive technology for some is relief from the need to cooperate in a loving sexual act to--of course--satisfy desire but also to live a life of loving intimacy in which children--whole or hurt--typically result.  We use genetic screening and, ultimately, will use cloning in an attempt to reduce the risks of neediness and enhance our freedom from potentially burdensome relationships.  The only problem is: someday we will be the burdensome one and then . . . .