Would you have allowed Bill Gates to be born?

[Guest guest]

Dr. Caplan rivals Dr. Frist in suggesting public diagnoses from a

distance -- pretty presumptuous to suggest that Gates has " autism " or

" Asperger's " , eh?

Kaplan says: " The reason I ask these questions is that there is a good

chance we will soon have a genetic test for detecting the risk of

autism in an embryo or fetus. The development of such a screening tool

raises the possibility that parents might one day have the option of

preventing the birth of a child with even a mild case of the disorder. "

And in the above quote Dr. Caplan lapses into false assumption and a

premise that permits him to engage in a discussion that fails to come

to grips with a more fundamental question: the promulgation of

scientific spin that permits people like Dr. Caplan to make the

suggestion that is false – that " that there is a good chance we will

soon have a genetic test for detecting the risk of autism in an embryo

or fetus. " This assertion is so distant from reality that it

constitutes science fiction. But it makes for a timely, if

fundamentally off-base - column on ethics.

________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7899821/

By Arthur Caplan, Ph.D.

MSNBC contributor

Updated: 12:33 p.m. ET May 31, 2005

Arthur Caplan, Ph.D.

• E-mail

Who needs Bill Gates? No, I don’t mean who needs a gazillionaire

corporate titan, a man whose company, Microsoft, took in billions of

dollars last year by controlling nearly all the software used to run

nearly every computer on the planet.

No, I mean, literally, who needs him?  If you could go back in time and

stop the birth of the world’s most famous nerd, would you?

You probably answered my question with a " no. " Whatever Gates’ sins may

be, he is the father of a computer revolution that has brought much

good to many people throughout the world. Add to that achievement his

current generous philanthropic activities supporting some very worthy

causes, such as vaccine research and a center for autism research in

Seattle, and the case for having Bill with us becomes pretty

persuasive.

(MSNBC is a Microsoft-NBC joint venture.)

But what if I told you it’s possible that Gates has a medical condition

that accounts, in part, for both his tremendous achievements and for

his " nerdiness? " Gates is widely reported to display many personality

traits characteristic of a condition known as Asperger’s syndrome.

Asperger’s is a mild version of autism, a more serious condition that

renders many children unable to talk, be touched, communicate or

socialize. While I certainly do not know if Gates has Asperger’s, his

difficulties in social settings are nearly as legendary as his genius,

so it's possible.

The perils of genetic testing

That said, if you had been Gates' potential mom or dad 50 years ago,

what would you have done if you knew about his abilities and flaws

before he was born? Would you have wanted a child that would go on to

do great things but would have a hyper-nerdy personality? What if the

decision about whether to have a child like him also carried a risk

that he might be born with far more serious disabilities? Would you

have decided to carry the baby to term?

The reason I ask these questions is that there is a good chance we will

soon have a genetic test for detecting the risk of autism in an embryo

or fetus. The development of such a screening tool raises the

possibility that parents might one day have the option of preventing

the birth of a child with even a mild case of the disorder.

The thought is very upsetting to many in the autism community,

including Aspies For Freedom, an advocacy group for people with

Asperger's that is pushing to make June 18 " Autistic Pride Day. " In

their view, those with autism are no more suffering from a disease than

are people who are short or have lighter or darker shades of skin. They

want autism treated as merely a difference not a disease. And they are

aghast at the thought that anyone would abort a child because they

might have any degree of autism.

  Click for related coverage

• Signs and symptoms of autism

• Understanding autistic disorders

An advantageous disorder?

In the past decade, there has been an explosion in the number of U.S.

children diagnosed with autism. Less well known is that there has been

a parallel autism epidemic in other countries, such as Ireland and

Britain. Whatever the reasons for the increase in the number of cases,

it is highly likely that autism has a genetic component. Scientists and

doctors have not yet nailed down what the genetic contribution to

autism is, but the fact that males are far more likely to be affected

than females and that autism appears in certain ethnic groups more than

others are strong indicators.

Like many genetic diseases, there is a broad range of severity

associated with autism. And like some genetic diseases, such as sickle

cell trait, there can be, in the right environment, an advantage to

having a mild form.

Asperger’s is the least disabling form of autism and research is

beginning to show that it may also account for the presence of some

special capabilities in areas like mathematics, computer science and

engineering. But the same genes may also create a person who is

socially awkward, easily distracted, very introspective and in many

ways withdrawn and solitary.

Gates was born on Oct. 28, 1955. When he arrived in the world the

science of human genetics was truly in its infancy. Newborn babies were

only tested for a few rare genetic conditions. Fifty years later, the

field of human genetics is thriving. Tests have been established for

detecting Tay-Sachs disease, Huntington’s disease, some forms of breast

cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, and hundreds of other fatal or

disabling conditions.

The drive for more genetic tests continues unabated. Undoubtedly the

genes for autism and Asperger’s will soon be found. When they are, my

question — would you have stopped Bill Gates from existing? — will take

on a very real meaning.

Fewer geniuses?

There are many in the autism and Asperger’s community, like the newly

formed Aspies for Freedom, who worry that the minute a genetic test

appears, it will spell the end for a lot of future geniuses, like

Gates. Maybe there will be fewer Jeffersons or Carrolls —

remarkable thinkers who also fit the profile for Asperger’s.

As genetic testing moves into the world of mental health, we are going

to face some very tough questions. Will medicine suggest that any and

every variation from absolute normalcy is pathological? How can we draw

lines between disabling diseases such as severe autism and more mild

differences such as Asperger’s, which may give society some of its

greatest achievers? Will parents have complete say over the kind of

children they want to bear? And what sorts of messages will doctors and

genetic counselors convey when talking about risks, probabilities and

choices that involve not life and death but personality and

sociability, genius and geekiness?

All I can tell you is that neither medicine nor the general public are

at all ready to deal with the emerging genetic knowledge about autism,

Asperger’s or other aspects of mental health. But the future of our

society may well hinge on how we answer these questions.

Arthur Caplan is director of the Center for Bioethics at the University

of Pennsylvania.

[Guest guest]

I got diagnosed from a distance once by Fumento but my

sensibilities prevent me from repeating what he said.

>

> Dr. Caplan rivals Dr. Frist in suggesting public diagnoses from a

> distance -- pretty presumptuous to suggest that Gates has " autism "

or

> " Asperger's " , eh?

>

> Kaplan says: " The reason I ask these questions is that there is a

good

> chance we will soon have a genetic test for detecting the risk of

> autism in an embryo or fetus. The development of such a screening

tool

> raises the possibility that parents might one day have the option

of

> preventing the birth of a child with even a mild case of the

disorder. "

>

> And in the above quote Dr. Caplan lapses into false assumption and

a

> premise that permits him to engage in a discussion that fails to

come

> to grips with a more fundamental question: the promulgation of

> scientific spin that permits people like Dr. Caplan to make the

> suggestion that is false – that " that there is a good chance we

will

> soon have a genetic test for detecting the risk of autism in an

embryo

> or fetus. " This assertion is so distant from reality that it

> constitutes science fiction. But it makes for a timely, if

> fundamentally off-base - column on ethics.

>

_____________________________________________________________________

___

> ______________________________________________

> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7899821/

>

> By Arthur Caplan, Ph.D.

> MSNBC contributor

> Updated: 12:33 p.m. ET May 31, 2005

>

>

> Arthur Caplan, Ph.D.

> • E-mail

> Who needs Bill Gates? No, I don't mean who needs a gazillionaire

> corporate titan, a man whose company, Microsoft, took in billions

of

> dollars last year by controlling nearly all the software used to

run

> nearly every computer on the planet.

>

> No, I mean, literally, who needs him?  If you could go back in

time and

> stop the birth of the world's most famous nerd, would you?

> You probably answered my question with a " no. " Whatever Gates'

sins may

> be, he is the father of a computer revolution that has brought

much

> good to many people throughout the world. Add to that achievement

his

> current generous philanthropic activities supporting some very

worthy

> causes, such as vaccine research and a center for autism research

in

> Seattle, and the case for having Bill with us becomes pretty

> persuasive.

>

> (MSNBC is a Microsoft-NBC joint venture.)

>

> But what if I told you it's possible that Gates has a medical

condition

> that accounts, in part, for both his tremendous achievements and

for

> his " nerdiness? " Gates is widely reported to display many

personality

> traits characteristic of a condition known as Asperger's syndrome.

> Asperger's is a mild version of autism, a more serious condition

that

> renders many children unable to talk, be touched, communicate or

> socialize. While I certainly do not know if Gates has Asperger's,

his

> difficulties in social settings are nearly as legendary as his

genius,

> so it's possible.

>

> The perils of genetic testing

> That said, if you had been Gates' potential mom or dad 50 years

ago,

> what would you have done if you knew about his abilities and flaws

> before he was born? Would you have wanted a child that would go on

to

> do great things but would have a hyper-nerdy personality? What if

the

> decision about whether to have a child like him also carried a

risk

> that he might be born with far more serious disabilities? Would

you

> have decided to carry the baby to term?

>

> The reason I ask these questions is that there is a good chance we

will

> soon have a genetic test for detecting the risk of autism in an

embryo

> or fetus. The development of such a screening tool raises the

> possibility that parents might one day have the option of

preventing

> the birth of a child with even a mild case of the disorder.

>

> The thought is very upsetting to many in the autism community,

> including Aspies For Freedom, an advocacy group for people with

> Asperger's that is pushing to make June 18 " Autistic Pride Day. "

In

> their view, those with autism are no more suffering from a disease

than

> are people who are short or have lighter or darker shades of skin.

They

> want autism treated as merely a difference not a disease. And they

are

> aghast at the thought that anyone would abort a child because they

> might have any degree of autism.

>

>   Click for related coverage

> • Signs and symptoms of autism

> • Understanding autistic disorders

>

> An advantageous disorder?

> In the past decade, there has been an explosion in the number of

U.S.

> children diagnosed with autism. Less well known is that there has

been

> a parallel autism epidemic in other countries, such as Ireland and

> Britain. Whatever the reasons for the increase in the number of

cases,

> it is highly likely that autism has a genetic component.

Scientists and

> doctors have not yet nailed down what the genetic contribution to

> autism is, but the fact that males are far more likely to be

affected

> than females and that autism appears in certain ethnic groups more

than

> others are strong indicators.

>

> Like many genetic diseases, there is a broad range of severity

> associated with autism. And like some genetic diseases, such as

sickle

> cell trait, there can be, in the right environment, an advantage

to

> having a mild form.

>

> Asperger's is the least disabling form of autism and research is

> beginning to show that it may also account for the presence of

some

> special capabilities in areas like mathematics, computer science

and

> engineering. But the same genes may also create a person who is

> socially awkward, easily distracted, very introspective and in

many

> ways withdrawn and solitary.

>

> Gates was born on Oct. 28, 1955. When he arrived in the world the

> science of human genetics was truly in its infancy. Newborn babies

were

> only tested for a few rare genetic conditions. Fifty years later,

the

> field of human genetics is thriving. Tests have been established

for

> detecting Tay-Sachs disease, Huntington's disease, some forms of

breast

> cancer and Alzheimer's disease, and hundreds of other fatal or

> disabling conditions.

>

> The drive for more genetic tests continues unabated. Undoubtedly

the

> genes for autism and Asperger's will soon be found. When they are,

my

> question — would you have stopped Bill Gates from existing? — will

take

> on a very real meaning.

>

> Fewer geniuses?

> There are many in the autism and Asperger's community, like the

newly

> formed Aspies for Freedom, who worry that the minute a genetic

test

> appears, it will spell the end for a lot of future geniuses, like

> Gates. Maybe there will be fewer Jeffersons or

Carrolls —

> remarkable thinkers who also fit the profile for Asperger's.

>

> As genetic testing moves into the world of mental health, we are

going

> to face some very tough questions. Will medicine suggest that any

and

> every variation from absolute normalcy is pathological? How can we

draw

> lines between disabling diseases such as severe autism and more

mild

> differences such as Asperger's, which may give society some of its

> greatest achievers? Will parents have complete say over the kind

of

> children they want to bear? And what sorts of messages will

doctors and

> genetic counselors convey when talking about risks, probabilities

and

> choices that involve not life and death but personality and

> sociability, genius and geekiness?

>

> All I can tell you is that neither medicine nor the general public

are

> at all ready to deal with the emerging genetic knowledge about

autism,

> Asperger's or other aspects of mental health. But the future of

our

> society may well hinge on how we answer these questions.

>

> Arthur Caplan is director of the Center for Bioethics at the

University

> of Pennsylvania.

>