THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

MEDICAL SCHOOL
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN GENETICS TELEPHONE:

1137 E. CATHERINE STREET July 27, 1979 ANN ARBOR, 764-8490
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN
48109

  
 
   

  

(AUG 2 1979

Or, ~~
CE oF rye exes

Mrs. Eppie Lederer

The Chicago Sun-Times

401 North Wabash

Chicago, Illinois 60611

Dear Mrs. Lederer:

Dr. Joshua Lederberg has forwarded to me your recent correspondence
regarding the enclosure, with a request that I respond to you directly.
Accurate data concerning the characteristics of children born of incest
(brother-sister, father-daughter) are difficult to come by; I presume
the reason Josh sent me the letter was a little study which we did here
some years back (reprint enclosed). As you can see, in what is really
a rather small experience, because such cases are quite difficult to
document, we found that approximately one third of the children had
a significant problem of some type or the other. This is of course well
above the expectation for the usual couple, although the odds are still
in favor of having a normal child. Incidentally, we here have also
done a very extensive study (in Japan) of the children of first cousin
marriages, and the results mentioned above are quite in keeping with
this study.

As you are well aware, one of the accepted indications for abortion
is pregnancy resulting from rape or incest. This position is probably
based as much on sociological as on biological grounds. At any rate,
should the person in question desire an abortion, it would probably be
performed by most obstetricians, assuming the pregnancy has not gone
beyond the period during which an abortion can in fact be performed.
However, the letter indicates no interest whatsoever in an abortion.
Under these circumstances, as a physician (and human being), I have
difficulty seeing what useful purpose is served by laying on this already
guilt-stricken woman the additional information given above, i.e., the
increased probability of an abnormal outcome.

’

Singerely yo S,

)

James V. Neel, M.D.
Lee R. Dice University Professor
of Human Genetics

JVN: mlw
Enc.
cC: Dr. J. Lederberg