NBC’s chief medical editor says, “I am Pro-Science” translated: “I am pro-Eugenics”

NBC’s Nancy Snyderman: It’s ‘Pro-Science’ to Abort Children With Genetic Defects

By Kyle Drennen | June 08, 2012 | 16:57

On Friday’s NBC Today, chief medical editor Nancy Snyderman explained to viewers that it’s just good science to abort an unborn child that may have a genetic disorder, explaining that testing for such conditions, “gives parents a chance to decide whether they’re going to continue that pregnancy or not. This is the science of today.” [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

Snyderman then predicted: “I think the future will be such that you’ll find out that your child may have a genetic hit. You can fix that genetic problem, and improve your chance, a child’s chance…” When co-host Savannah Guthrie raised ethical questions about aborting children under such circumstances, Snyderman matter-of-factly replied: “Well, I’m pro-science, so I believe that this is a great way to prevent diseases.”

Earlier in the discussion, advertising executive Donny Deutsch raised the possibility of parents using the genetic information to abort children based on superficial preferences: “Look, I’m a pro-choice guy, but at the end of the day what’s stopping people, “Oh, my son is going to be blonde, I want…”

Snyderman largely dismissed such concerns: “I get the genetic engineering issue. But the reality is we’ve already jumped out of that with amniocentesis. So, the science is there. The problem is that science goes faster than we have these societal questions. And that’s exactly why we should have these societal questions now.”

While Snyderman sounded briefly open-minded on the issue, she soon made her “pro-science” declaration and later completely rejected any legal argument against selective abortions.

Attorney Star Jones raised the possibility: “…at what point will the courts step in and say, ‘No, this is too late in the gestation process’?” Snyderman asserted: “They won’t. They won’t. They won’t.” Jones responded: “Well, we’ll see what’s happening in the next presidential election.” Snyderman insisted: “Not if you can save a life and prevent a disease. You can’t make a case for that.”

Later on the show, Snyderman suggested Saudi Arabia had a better record on providing equal pay for working women than the United States.

Go here to watch the vid and read a full transcript of the June 8 exchange: