Designer Genes: Three Photographs of the Future and a Call for Debate

Abstract

Snapshot:

A small, windowless doctor's examining room. A hip-high examination table in the center of the room is covered by a disposable paper sheet. Someone has painted the walls a soothing shade of mauve. At the far end of the room are a sink, a cabinet above the sink, a sterilizer and needle disposal unit on the counter top (all stainless steel). The opposite corner of the room holds a reproduction mission oak chair, the seat upholstered in leather, and a matching magazine stand. A pair of jeans and a white T-shirt hang from a row of wooden hooks above the chair.

Brenda Calloway, a stylishly career-dressed woman of about fifty, sits on the chair holding a portfolio-style purse and a denim bag. Her make-up and hair are impeccable. Her daughter Samantha, age 17, sits on the end of the examining table; she is wearing a short green paper gown. Her hair is blond, straight and very long. She thumbs through an old copy of People magazine, glancing somewhat nervously at the door every few seconds.

Brenda is the chief financial officer of a medium-sized restaurant supply company. Samantha is her only child, born when Brenda and her husband were in their early thirties. Brenda has high hopes for her daughter's future, for her accomplishments, and happiness. Samantha sometimes chafes under her mother's expectations, but the two have a very close relationship.