12.20.02 genes

Years ago, when I was in school and working with the disability group on campus, my friend and colleague Jenni helped set up a conference. The keynote speaker worked on disability policy in the Clinton White House.

We sat in the audience and listened to the man speak. Jenni was enthralled; their eyes met; it was love at first sight. Or at least that was my interpretation when, because she was my ride home, I ended up going along on their first date. He was staying at a hotel near the airport and we stopped in at a karaoke bar and they stared longingly across the table at each other and talked about art. I was bored and amused myself by cross-examining the man (an attorney and superstar in the world of public policy, my field of study) about his romantic and health history. At the end of the evening they parted wistfully, and I informed them that they would have to give me a role in their wedding.

They were married at a vineyard in California, the wedding was announced in the New York Times, and Jenni moved to D.C. to take up a job in the disability policy field. They have a lovely little girl and Paul is now a Commissioner of the EEOC.

The PBS series OUR GENES/OUR CHOICES engages viewers in a critically needed dialogue about the implications of this rapidly advancing field. The three programs in the series - Who Gets to Know?, Making Better Babies, and Genes on Trial - tackle personal, social, legal and ethical issues surrounding the development of genetic science.

In one segment of the program, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and Commissioner of the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission Paul Miller debate the value of genetic tests.

Check your local PBS listings for the show times, and read more about the historic and legal framework of the issue:

Our Genes

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