Yount, Rena : Pursuit of Excellence

Literature Annotations

Genre	Short Story
Keywords	Family Relationships, Genetic Engineering, Human Worth, Medical Ethics, Science Fiction, Technology
Summary	It is sometime in the future of genetic engineering, at the point at which, for a high enough price, one can buy physical and intellectual characteristics for one's fetus. This is the story of a young American couple of average means who have one "normal" son and are negotiating a supernorm status for their female fetus. The action centers around the stresses placed on the young family by the financial sacrifices required to engineer a daughter who would be able to compete in the growing population of engineered people. Husband and wife disagree increasingly, and ultimately the family breaks up over the wife's obsession with having a perfectly engineered child.
Commentary	This hypothetical situation has been very useful in raising for discussion questions about the ethics of genetic manipulation; it is especially well suited to today's cost containment and rationing concerns. The story won Third Prize in the 1984 Clarion Awards for Science Fiction.
Source	The Clarion Awards, 1984
Publisher	Doubleday
Edition	1984
Place Published	New York
Annotated by	Willms, Janice L.
Date of Entry	06/26/95
Last Revised	01/28/97