Abstract
<p>The anticipated results of genetic research and the implications for genetic engineering have the potential to reduce the incidence of conditions such as cancer, but questions have been raised about the ethics of proceeding to conditions such as blindness, deafness or color-blindness. One area that has not been addressed is the preferences of deaf individuals for the hearing status of their children. The present study investigated the preference of deaf college students for the hearing status of children they might have in the future. The results indicated that the majority of respondents expressed no preference for hearing status of children. Of the approximately 25% who did state a preference, all but one would choose to have a deaf child. Implications of this finding are discussed.</p>
