The reproduction of America

... This essay draws a connection between the medical procedures produced by new reproductive technologies, most specifically the use of pre-natal tests which result in abortion, and the dictates of American liberal theory. There is, I believe, a strong link between certain contemporary American abortion practices and American liberalism's formulation of and emphasis on rational individualism. The touchstone and criterion of reason as the sole measure of humanity has influenced the conditions under which we reproduce, and consequently, when we abort. Although America purports to offer certain kinds of freedom to all individuals, only those who exercise the capacity for rationality are in fact permitted to reap the benefits of liberal society.