Ethical and moral issues with Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis
There are a whole range of ‘difficult’ issues with this technique. For a start if you are informed that your embryo is carrying a gene for a genetic disorder which may appear at birth then you have a difficult decision to make.
Do you decide to terminate the pregnancy based upon information from the screening? The embryo may be carrying a faulty gene which could lead to a genetic disorder but, bear in mind that PGD is not 100% effective and that other factors influence this risk. So there is the risk of terminating what could turn out to be a healthy embryo.
PGD is also used in sex selection. There are couples who want to choose the sex of their baby for a variety of reasons. One such example is where the couple have boys and now want a girl baby.
But there are ethical and moral issues with this. We know of societies where one gender is preferred over another which can lead to an imbalance between the sexes. In some countries, boy babies are desired instead of girl babies for a variety of reasons which can have serious consequences.
And concerns have been raised that this technique will be used to create ‘designer babies’. In other words, we would screen out all indicators of disease in order to have ‘perfect’ embryos. And this could lead to eugenics scenario in which a future society is populated by perfect humans.
This may sound like something from a science fiction film but it is a real life issue.
Supporters of PGD argue that it can ensure a couple undergoing IVF get a healthy baby rather than one with a genetic disorder which reduces its quality of life.
Opponents of PGD argue that it can be used for less ethical means in unscrupulous hands. These include sex selection and ‘designer babies’.
Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) Guide Index:
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