THE REPOSITORY FOR GERMINAL CHOICE A.k.a .a: : The e Nobe obel - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

THE REPOSITORY FOR GERMINAL CHOICE

 A.k.a .a: : The e Nobe

• bel Sperm

rm Bank nk  Found nded ed by Rober bert t Graham am  Es Escon

• ndido

dido, , California

• rnia

 Opene ned d in 1980, 0, closed sed in 1999 99  Radical, cal, cont ntrover ersia sial l experime periment nt

GOALS OF THE NOBEL SPERM BANK

 Creat ate e new w generati neration

• ns

s of health althy, , intel elligent ligent hum umans ans  Reduce duce si signif ificance cance of gene netic tic diseases eases  Track the children’s lives  Solve e the e nature ure v.s nur urtu ture re deba ebate  Save e hum umanit anity

DAVID PLOTZ

 “The Genius Babies and How They Grew” article- Sl Slate 2001  Published “The Genius Factory” in 2005  Inter ervi viewed d over er 24 fa families ilies  Self-procla

• claime

imed d seme men n det etectiv ective

HISTORY OF EUGENICS

 Eu Eugenics= nics= well ll born rn  Late e 19th

th centur

ntury y in U.S S and Britian an  Overpopula

• pulati

tion

• n, Darwini

winism sm, , and d racial parano noia  Nega gati tive e Eu Eugenics nics  Positiv sitive e Eu Eugeni enics cs

SOCIAL DARWINISM

 Sur urviv ival al of the e fittest est applied ed to mank nkind ind  Thomas

• mas Mathus

 Franc ncis s Galton

• n- Fath

ther of Eu Eugeni nics cs  “Hereditary Genius”- 18 1869

U.S RACIAL TENSION & PARANOIA

 Threa reats ts of immi migra grati tion

• n

 Sup uppor

• rters: up

upper/m /midd iddle le class ss white e Am Americ ricans ans  German rmany y and d Am American rican Eu Eugenic nics

EUGENIC STERILIZATION

 1910: 0: Charl rles es Davenpor port Eugenics Record Office in Cold Springs Harbor, Long Island Laws put in place against ‘mental defectives’ Eu Eugenic nic steriliza rilizati tion

• n of the un

unfit By 1917, 7, fiftee een n states es legalized alized steri rili liza zati tion

• n of the un

unfit By the 1930s, 0s, over r 35,00 ,000 0 Am Ameri ricans cans were ere ster erilized ilized An Anoth ther 25,000 000 were re steri riliz lized d before

• re the

e 1960s 0s

POSITIVE EUGENICS TAKE OVER- MAYBE?

 “Daedalus” written by J.B.S Haldane, 1923.  Dr. Addis ison

• n David Ha

Hard & W & William am Pan Pancoat

• at

 The e first t artificia cial insem eminati nation

• n: 1909

AID: ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION BY DONOR

 Out utrage ge, , disbelief sbelief  Immoral, mmoral, against nst god d and nature ure  Silent ent tolerance erance  Qui uiet et spread ead of AI AID

FROZEN SPERM!

 194 949: 9: scientis entists s disco cover er how w to freeze eeze sperm rm  1950’s and 1960s: scientists perfect the freezing process  AI AID trend nd & bus usiness iness  AI AID at home me

HOUSING THE SPERM

 Herma rmann nn Mul uller er One of america’s first outstanding geneticists Nobel Prize in medicine Herma rmann nn Mul uller er & Rober bert t Graha ham Future ture of Man Plan the e first t sperm rm bank nk Differenc erence in idea eals Herma rmann nn Mul uller er dies s in 1967

ROBERT K. GRAHAM

 Born rn Jun une e 9th

th,

, 1906 06 in Harbor bor Springs, ngs, Michigan gan  Studied udied optome

• metr

try y at Oh Ohio

• State

 Had 8 childr ldren en, , from

• m 3 differe

erent nt wives, es, and 1 out ut of wedlock edlock

ROBERT GRAHAM’S INSPIRATION

 Makes es $100 00 million ion by inventing enting shatt tter erproof

• f glasses

ses  “The Future of Man”- 1971

ROBERT GRAHAM’S (RACIST?) INSPIRATION

 Disgust ust for r the e lower class  Blamed med so social ial welf lfare re progr gram ams for so soci cieta tal decli line ne  Em Emoti tion

• nal

al raci cism sm v.s Scientif entific c racism? sm?

“save mankind nkind from

• m a gene

enetic ic catastr tastrophe phe, , retr etrograde

• grade huma

mans ns are e swam ampin ing g out t the e intelligent elligent minorit nority” –Rober

• bert Gr

Graham aham

OPEN FOR BUSINESS

 Goal: : find d don

• nor
• rs

s with th a Nobe bel Prize e in scienc ence  3 Nobe

• bel sp

sperm rm dono nors by 1980 80  Al All donor nors s kept t conf nfiden idential tial

Robert Graham in his Repository

WILLIAM SHOCKLEY

 Born rn in 1910  On Only y child ld of a wealth althy y enginee gineer r & am & ambit itious ious moth ther  Physicist sicist  Recei ceived ed the e highe hest st civilia ian n award d from

• m the

e Navy  Silicon con Valley  1956: 56: Awarde ded d a N Nobel

• bel Prize

e in Physics sics for inventing enting the e transi nsist stor

• r

William Shockley

SHOCKLEY’S REPUTATION

 Graham am admired ired Shock

• ckle

ley, fun unde ded d his resear search ch  Resear earch ch became came racially ly based ed  Reputation utation decl cline ine 1960s 60s-1970s 70s

“I would think that it would be quite likely that there was some me sign gnif ifica icant nt amount unt of elimin imination ation of gene netic tic diseases eases [in n Nazi i German many]. y]. Just st as the autob

• bahns

ahns were a good thin ing, g, mayb ybe e there ere were e some e other er good things ings about ut Hitler tler.” –Willia liam Shockle kley

WILLIAM SHOCKLEY & THE NOBEL SPERM BANK

 1st

st to don

• nate

e a samp mple le in 1977, 7, and d again in 1978  Februar ebruary y 29th

th,1980:

80: Pub ublic c debu but t of the e Repos

• sitor
• ry

y for Germi rmina nal l Choice

• ice

 William am Shock

• ckle

ley y in the e pub ublic c eye  Graham’s biggest liability

CHANGES TO THE REPOSITORY

 En End all associ

• ciat

ation ion with th Willia iam m Shockle

• ckley

 No Nobe bel sp sperm rm, , no Nobe bel babies bies  Search ch for tall, hands dsome me, , intel elligent ligent men en  1982: 82: Good

• d sperm,

rm, but ut no pregnan gnancies ies

1ST BABY IS BORN! – VICTORIA KOWALSKI

 Born rn Ap April 1982 2 to Joyce ce and Jack k Kowalsk alski  Destined stined to be a genius ius  Kowalsk alski parents ents contr ntrover ersy sy

2ND BABY IS BORN! – DORON BLAKE

 Born rn in Aug ugus ust t of 1982 2 to moth

• ther

er Af Afton

• n Blake

 “Genius baby”: using computers, playing chess, learning algebra and Einstein’s theory of relativity  Robert Graham’s shining star

Doron Blake Doron & Afton Blake

MORE BABIES!

 Women

• men want

t geni nius s sperm rm  Mid 1980s 0s: Dozen zen of babies bies were re born rn each ch year ar  Rober bert t Graham am dies es 2 yea ears s before

• re Reposi
• sitor
• ry

y close ses  Over r 200 childre dren n born rn by the e time me the e Reposit

• sitor
• ry

y closed sed in 1999. 99.  Myster ery y of the e genius ius babies bies

INVESTIGATING “THE GENIUS FACTORY”: DONORS

 David d Plotz

• tz: lead ‘detective’, author of “The Genius Factory”

 Donor nor Coral: al: Je Jerem emy y Sampson Father of Tom Legare & Alton Grant Fathered an estimated 30 children Michael ael: : Donor nor & natura ural-bo born rn son n of Nobeli

• belist

st Ex Extreme reme narcis issism sism in donor nors? s?

INVESTIGATING “THE GENIUS FACTORY”: DONORS

Rationali

• nalist

sts s v.s Egoti

• tist

sts Donor nor Whit ite: e: Roger er

FLAWS OF THE REPOSITORY FOR GERMINAL CHOICE

 Donor Records & tracking the children’s lives  Ol Older er donor

• nors=hi

=highe gher risk sks  Geni nius us sperm rm is a rip off  Gene netic tic Ex Expectation ctations  Nature ure vs.

• s. Nu

Nurtu ture, re, the forever un unsol solved ed myster ery  Fami mily ly Disparit ities ies, , absent sent fa fathe her

IMPACTS OF THE REPOSITORY FOR GERMINAL CHOICE

 Brought ght over er 200 childre dren n into

• the

e worl rld! d!  Trans nsforme rmed d how w we think nk about

• ut babies

ies  Tur urned ed sperm rm bank nks s into

• a bus

usine ness ss

SPERM BANKS TODAY

 Basica cally lly all sperm rm bank nks s are geni nius s sperm rm bank nks s today  Lesbians ans

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

 Do you u think nk Robe bert t Graham, am, foun under er of the e Nobe

• bel Sperm

erm Bank nk, , was s trul uly y a racist, t, or jus ust a product duct of his s time me in hist stor

• ry?

y?  Do you u think nk the e out utcom come/reputat e/reputation ion of the e Nobe

• bel Sperm

rm Bank nk would d be differe erent nt if William am Shockle

• ckley,

, and d the e ot

• the

her r controversies, weren’t associated with it?  If you u were ere un unable ble to have childre dren, n, would uld you u consider nsider applying ng to the e Nobe bel Sperm rm bank nk? ? (assu sumi ming ng it is the e 1980s, 80s, not

• t today)

y)