Kathy Hudson is the director of the Genetics and Public Policy Center and an associate professor in the Berman Bioethics
Institute, Institute of Genetic Medicine, and the Department of Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University. Hudson founded the center in
2002 as an organization dedicated to the analysis of public policy issues raised by advances in human genetics. The center's first
initiative is on reproductive genetic technologies and includes assessing public attitudes, educating and engaging stakeholders and
opinion leaders, conducting legal and policy analysis, and developing policy options for governing the development and use of
reproductive genetic technologies.
Hudson indicates that reproductive technologies grew out of two technologies: genetics and the manipulation of gametes
and embryos. She addresses the political debate surrounding the use of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). This debate raises
ethical and safety concerns, and Hudson asks whether it should be allowed at all. Many people surveyed are concerned about unregulated
genetic enhancement and the commodification of human reproduction.
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