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decisions of the wealthy, society may disparage children whose parents, affluent or not, allow them to be born mentally dull, obese, or of short stature, among other cosmetic imperfections of the moment.

If access to beneficial genetic technologies depends on income or wealth, the well-off will, for example, become healthier, at least overall. Barring the implementation of some system of universal healthcare in the United States or making these therapies an entitlement for all, these distributional concerns simply prove too much. In a modem capitalistic society, the wealthy and their offspring have and will continue to have access to opportunities, whether better healthcare or genetic services, the economically disadvantaged do not have. Rather than leveling everyone by impeding access, modern technologies open the door to opportunity and encourage all to become wealthy through hard work, perseverance, entrepreneurial activity, thrift, and sound, long-term investments.

Moreover, genetic enhancement technology probably will not remain expensive. Similar to the development of personal computers, where technological advances and the market economy made computers cost effective and widely available, this technology will in all likelihood become sufficiently cheap for the nonwealthy.** If not, the disadvantaged may not stand by when biological alterations give some advantages over others, particularly a better chance to succeed. Pressures may build for these advanced therapies to be an entitlement, with public funds providing access for everyone. As one opponent of genetic engineering, who calls for the establishment of new national and global governmental agencies to regulate the biotechnology revolution, states:“It seems highly unlikely that people in modern democratic societies will sit around complacently if they see elites embedding their advantages genetically in their children....[The specter of rising genetic inequality may well get people off their couches and into the streets.”*’ Modern welfare states will probably strive to bring about a more genetically egalitarian society in which inexpensive, widely available technology offers the possibility of