The deeds of present generations create favourable or unfavourable conditions for people not yet born. But our actions not only affect what they will experience in the future. We also make those who will have experiences, and we shape their capacities for thought and action. Genetic technology provides an ever-increasing power to determine what their nature and capacities will be. In discussions about the ethical implications of genetic technology and the restrictions that ought to be placed on research and application, philosophers have mostly worried about the impact of the technology on individuals. They have considered whether and how particular techniques would violate rights or have an adverse effect on the wellbeing or autonomy of individuals. In this chapter I will focus on the impact of genetic technology on intergenerational relationships. My aim is to determine whether these techniques, now or in the future, could create intergenerational injustices.

Generations and justice

In discussions of intergenerational justice several senses of generation come into play. In a family, those who count as members of the same generation are defined by their relation to their parents or by their position in a family tree. In a social sense, a generation is a group of individuals whose births fall within specified dates and who move through life together. How we set the parameters is an arbitrary matter.