eugenics

Last month the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) took a quite remarkable step, putting out a formal statement of apology for its past history of involvement with eugenics. Some say it’s long overdue while some of us didn’t know about this history.

Along with the statement, the society issued a full report which is part of the Facing Our History - Building an Equitable Future Initiative. Here to discuss the statement and the initiative is the President of ASHG, Dr. Brendan Lee. Dr. Lee is also a Professor and Chairman of the Department of Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine.

Dr. Lee says the society, which is the largest of its kind in the world, has been working on diversity and equity as part of its recent strategic planning initiative. But he also acknowledges that the issue became more urgent after the events around the death of George Floyd which rocked America.

How well is this history known by ASHG members? Some members have commented that politics should be kept out of science—what are Dr. Lee’s thoughts about this response? The Initiative is not only about an honest reckoning with the past, but bold changes for the future. What will that look like?

Our two reigning champions are back for a month packed with news. It’s Nathan Pearson of Root and Laura Hercher of Sarah Laurence College and Host of The Beagle Has Landed Podcast daring to go where no genomics commentators have gone before.

Guest:

Brett Ryan Bonowicz, Filmmaker
Bio and Contact Info

Listen (4:00) Where is the "fiction" in your science fiction?

Listen (4:47) Upcoming screenings

Listen (3:51) Learning where to draw the ethical lines

Listen (3:43) What would a biotech company look like with Steve Jobs or Elon Musk as CEO?

Listen (2:42) Would you personally try a service like GenePeeks?

Listen (6:53) Tackling the topic of GMO's next

In today’s interview, we talk with filmmaker, Brett Ryan Bonowicz. He’s the writer, director and producer of The Perfect 46, a new film exploring the future of direct-to-consumer genetic testing. Whereas our industry often gets demonized by Hollywood sci-fi blockbusters that are full of special effects and fancy sets, Brett’s film seeks to ask tough ethical questions and show the industry in a more nuanced way.

“I knew I wanted to get into science fiction. And I knew I wanted to get into discussions that didn’t have definitive answers, where I could explore a lot of grey area where each person was right in their own way,” he says in explaining why he chose his topic.

While the film is set just barely into the future, and there is no company existing today like the one in the film, the screenplay unfolds in a very plausible way. A geneticist creates a website called "The Perfect 46" that pairs folks with their genetic match for having children.

To better describe his interest in portraying events that might be right around the corner, Brett calls his work “science-factual,” a term he says he borrowed from some Walt Disney work.

Brett was first attracted to the topic in 2008 when he read about 23andMe in Time Magazine and subsequently used their service. Watching his film and talking with Brett gives us a chance to see the industry from an outsider’s perspective.

The film’s next screening is at Stanford on August 4th, accompanied by a panel discussion with local life scientists.

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