Stakeholder #3

1.  Description of Stakeholder

Today's stakeholder is Marcy Darnovsky, who is an American policy activist and is the current Executive Director for the Center for Genetics and Society.

Via Wikipedia.  Public Domain

The way I would describe Darnovsky's appearance is that she is very bird-like.  She also gives off crazy cat-lady vibes.  Darnovsky is up there in years, and has sunken eyes as though she is always tired or drugged out.  She probably yells at small children when they are playing outside at the park.  Just saying, I would not trust this person if all I knew about her was her appearance.  

After listening to some interviews and videos of Darnovsky, my opinion of her doesn't really get much better.  She has a very opinionated tone in her voice, holding strong and tight to her beliefs.  More on her voice, she sounds like that mean librarian that always yells at people to be quiet.  Actually, she looks the part too.  Her posture is good, although she does look stiff when she talks, with little movement.

In terms of dress, I will say that Darnovsky dresses professionally from what I have seen of her.  It is important to be seen professionally for someone in her position.

2.  Claims

"What we’re talking about is radical experimentation on future children. . . . A decision of such profound magnitude should not be made behind the mostly closed doors of this agency" (Paragraph 7).  SOURCE

"The known risks and areas of disturbing uncertainty [are] too large to permit clinical trials to begin" (Paragraph 7).  SOURCE


"The description is accurate — it would involve a woman affected by mitochondrial disease, whose egg provides a nucleus, a second woman to provide a ‘healthy’ egg and a man to provide sperm — but this simple framing overshadows profound social and ethical concerns" (Paragraph 1). SOURCE




3. Analyzing claims 

I would say that Darnovsky's claims/concerns about mitochondrial replacement are warranted and a credible viewpoint.  However, Darnovsky does evoke pathos through her descriptions of the ethical concerns that the experiments could have.  Darnovsky is one of the most prominent opponents of human genetic experimentation, and her claims definitely hold weight in the argument.

4.  Comparing the claims to the other stakeholders

Darnovsky's claims are very different from the National Academies'.  Darnovsky does not want genetic experiments to be performed at all, while the Academies concluded that human experimentation is indeed ethical.  Furthermore, Darnovsky seems to be conservative in her views, and unwilling to change.  She has a little bit in common with the FDA, who haven't permitted the human experimentation yet, and both are concerned over the ethics of the whole ordeal.