Penn Bioethics Seminar Series (PBS): "Beyond Severity: Utility as a Criterion in Decision-Making About Reproductive Genomic Technologies" led by Eline Bunnik, PhD

12:00pm - 1:00pm • Hybrid: 1402 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive (and virtual via Zoom)

2025-04-15 12:00:00 2025-04-15 13:00:00 America/New_York Penn Bioethics Seminar Series (PBS): "Beyond Severity: Utility as a Criterion in Decision-Making About Reproductive Genomic Technologies" led by Eline Bunnik, PhD Beyond Severity: Utility as a Criterion in Decision-Making About Reproductive Genomic Technologies Eline Bunnik, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Medical Ethics, Philosophy and History of Medicine Erasmus University Medical Center, Netherlands The severity of medical conditions is commonly used as a criteron in policy-making and practices of reproductive genomic technologies. In public healthcare systems, for instance, the concept of severity is used to limit access to pre-implantation genetic testing (PGT) and pre-conception carrier screening. Yet severity is an internally complex, highly subjective concept that can be easily instrumentalised, with potentially adverse outcomes. Utility, by contrast, is a concept that is action-oriented, can be attributed to information rather than experiences, and is more clearly linked to the purpose and the context in which reproductive genomic technologies are employed. This presentation will propose to replace severity with utility as a criterion in decision-making about reproductive genomic technologies at the policy and practice level, and discuss the ethical and practical implications of this proposal – both its merits and its limitations. Lunch provided. Streaming availale via Zoom. Hybrid: 1402 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive (and virtual via Zoom) Penn Medical Ethics

The severity of medical conditions is commonly used as a criteron in policy-making and practices of reproductive genomic technologies. In public healthcare systems, for instance, the concept of severity is used to limit access to pre-implantation genetic testing (PGT) and pre-conception carrier screening. Yet severity is an internally complex, highly subjective concept that can be easily instrumentalised, with potentially adverse outcomes. Utility, by contrast, is a concept that is action-oriented, can be attributed to information rather than experiences, and is more clearly linked to the purpose and the context in which reproductive genomic technologies are employed.

This presentation will propose to replace severity with utility as a criterion in decision-making about reproductive genomic technologies at the policy and practice level, and discuss the ethical and practical implications of this proposal – both its merits and its limitations.