Text 1: Bioethicist Dr. Karen Mills supports embryo selection for disease prevention. "Genetic screening prevents devastating hereditary conditions," Mills argues. "Parents choosing healthy embryos reduce suffering for future children."
Text 2: Disability rights advocate Dr. James Foster critiques selection practices. "Screening against disabilities signals that disabled lives are worth less," Foster contends. "These practices reinforce ableism and narrow conceptions of valuable human life."
What assumption in Mills's argument does Foster's critique target?
That genetic technology actually functions
That preventing disability necessarily reduces suffering
That parents have any role in reproductive decisions
That embryos have genetic material
Correct Answer: B
Choice B is the correct answer. Mills assumes preventing disability reduces suffering. Foster challenges this by noting disabled lives have value—reducing disability may not equal reducing suffering if the framing itself harms.
- Evidence: Foster: Selection says "disabled lives are worth less."
- Reasoning: Mills's framing presumes disability means suffering.
- Conclusion: Foster questions whether preventing disability reduces net suffering.
Choice A is incorrect because technology isn't disputed. Choice C is incorrect because parental role isn't Foster's focus. Choice D is incorrect because genetics aren't questioned.