Bureaucrats and Babies: Government Regulation of the Supply of Genetic Material*

One might object to the sale of genetic material on the ground that it constitutes a trade in human beings. We argue that such exchange does not constitute a morally significant departure from current practice concerning the sale of other bodily property. Some utilitarians have argued that there is no justification for suppliers of genetic material receiving the competitive market-clearing price for their product. They maintain that utilitarian objectives would be better advanced by distributing genetic material through a government board. We contend that competitive market exchange of genetic material is preferable both because it does more to further individual liberty and because it is more efficient.