WHAT PUTS THE ‘YUCK’ IN THE YUCK FACTOR?

February 25, 2010

The advances in biotechnology have given rise to a discussion concerning the strong emotional reaction expressed by the public towards biotechnological innovations. This reaction has been named the ‘Yuck-factor’ by several theorists of bioethics. Leon Kass, the former chairman of the President’s council on bioethics, has appraised this public reaction as ‘an emotional expression of deep wisdom, beyond reason’s power fully to articulate it’.1 Similar arguments have been forwarded by the Catholic Church, several Protestant denominations and the Pro-Life movement. Several bioethicists have, however, opposed the idea of a disgust-based morality. [Premium (Journal of Bioethics)]