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Giving Birth to Someone Else's Children?

A Case of Disputed Maternity

By Jessica Hutchison

Giving Birth to Someone Else's Children?


 

Abstract

Most students have heard about situations in which the paternity of a child is questioned, but maternity? This case was designed for introductory biology students and asks them to develop hypotheses to explain how a mother cannot be genetically related to two of her three sons. Through an interrupted, progressive disclosure format, students reject hypotheses and form new ones as data is revealed. This case involves concepts in genetics, inheritance, and the formation of pedigrees. At the conclusion, students are asked to think about the moral, ethical, and legal implications of the mother’s rare condition.

   

Date Posted

09/01/2007

Overview

Objectives

  • Formulate testable hypotheses given preliminary data.
  • Suggest tests to evaluate current hypotheses.
  • Interpret data to evaluate and revise hypotheses.
  • Draw a pedigree based on given genetic information.
  • Use a Punnett square to predict the likelihood of a genetic combination.
  • Discuss the condition of the protagonist of the case study and describe its implications.

Keywords

Inheritance; pedigree; human reproduction; haplotype; chimera; tetragametic chimerism; maternity

  

Subject Headings

Biology (General)
Genetics / Heredity

EDUCATIONAL LEVEL

High school, Undergraduate lower division

  

FORMAT

PDF

   

TOPICAL AREAS

Ethics, Legal issues, Scientific method

   

LANGUAGE

English

   

TYPE/METHODS

Interrupted

 

 

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