Embryo Screening. The embryo screening, also referred as PGD (preimplantation genetic diagnosis), is a procedure tested on an embryo to identify any unwanted diseases that is found in the genes of the embryo.

Embryo Screening

Settling down and starting a family is what many couples have in mind. It's a life changing decision the many indivisual choose to endure, however, obstacles and complications have delayed couples from fulfilling their goal. Leaving the chances of pregnancy aside, couples try to prevent many issues that occur with their newborns - infectious and complicated diseases, deformities and abnormalities. In many cultures and races, it is customary, or even the norm, to marry close relatives. This scientifically has been proven to increase the chances of having your offspring inherit the diseases that have been in the past generations, such as diabetes, cancer, anemia and leukemia. [8]

One type of solution that has been discovered is embryo screening and human genetic engineering. The embryo screening, also referred as PGD (preimplantation genetic diagnosis), is a procedure tested on an embryo to identify any unwanted diseases that is found in the genes of the embryo. This then enables the couples to be aware of the problems that they might be facing if they do get pregnant, and leaving their embryo untouched. After enlightening couples about the genetic diseases found in the genes, they have to whether to go through the PGD and modify the genes to contract the ones that contain the genetic information about the disease, abnormality, or deformity. “PGD involves extracting a single cell from an eight-cell embryo, created via in vitro fertilization, and analyzing the DNA of that single cell for the presence of one or more disease-associated genetic alterations.” [6] Then the embryos that are free from diseases are put inside the uterus of the mother which then grows into a fetus.

Preimplantation genetic engineering allows couples to have a chance to fix an innocent child’s life, enabling them to live a healthy lifestyle. It allows couples at jeopardy of transmitting a genetic disease leave their future generations unaffected. This then does not only help the children of the couples transmitting a disease, but the future generations as well as this lessens the chance of passing on the disease [2]. After doctors examine the genes, there are some couples that may not wish to know which one of them are the carriers, so the results are not revealed to the parents. This can be due to the fact that they might get emotionally upset over the issue, especially women, even though it is technically not their fault. But that is how they he/she might look at the situation. This is known as “non-disclosing PGD”. Some types of diseases that is mostly looked out for the child being in risk include “Huntington’s disease, hereditary ataxia and other adult onset testable diseases.” [1] A child with a parent affect by Huntington’s disease has a 50% chance of getting the disease. The risk is increased even more if both parents have the disease. PGD is one great solution for resolving the issue.

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If couples do get pregnant, and release their unborn baby carries an awful disease such as Huntington’s disease, this might change their mind as they have second thoughts about abortion. A benefit of PGD is that it stops parents going through the emotional state of deciding whether to keep the unborn baby or facing an abortion. This state can actually cause a lot of psychological effects and leave a huge impact on the family, so avoiding such a thing by going through the PGD process is a beneficial solution. The PGD procedure is approximately 96-98% accurate [1]. It is extremely accurate today because for verification, multiple DNA sequences near the defective gene can be tested for, as well as the mutation itself. PGD is also very accurate for repeated miscarriages caused by chromosomal translocations for which about 1.5% of infertile couples are carriers. [5]

Regardless of the benefits and advantages of the technology and science used behind the preimplantation genetic diagnosis procedure, it does not mean it is faultless. First of all, due to it being relatively recent, it is still considered technologically experimental [1]. People cannot entirely depend on technology for solutions to the problem. Regarding this reality, leads to the fact that many health centers and hospitals do not provide this procedure, as they do not yet have the machinery and equipment. This directly means that since it is not widely used yet, therefore it is quite costly. [1] In the US, it costs between $2,000 to $4,500. [9] Many countries do not provide, therefore couples around the world may travel all the way to America to go through the process, which increases the costs of everything even more. This also shows that only well off people can provide such procedure because of it being highly costly. Disregarding PGD financially, any faults and errors have been reported. There have been 3-5% birth detects found, from ones that have been reported. [7]

There are many social and ethical issues and conflicts regarding the issue of whether PDG should be used or not. People who are pro-life are the ones that disagree about PGD. They believe that embryos should be given the same amount of value to a fetus, a child or a human being. [2] They believe that embryos should be left untouched because it deserves to live, and that we cannot take away a life of a soon to be baby. PDG actually involves a greater ethical issue than abortion as during the process numerous embryos are discarded, whilst in an abortion only one is terminated. [10] When screening the embryo, this enables the couples to make a choice of discarding the embryo rather than aborting a developing fetus. On the other hand, others say that it is morally wrong to change the natural way of life, changing Mother Nature. There are many arguments and debates going on around in the US and Europe on the issue.

On the other hand, many people say that PGD helps the lives of the future generations. It is rather difficult for all of those that involved in a person’s life that has some sort of disability or a disease. Everyone involved is affected, especially the parents and the siblings. Simone Aspis, of the British Council of Disabled People, warned: "Screening out autism would breed a fear that anyone who is different in any way will not be accepted. It would create a society where only perfection is valued." This is true for all sorts of disabilities, not only autism. Since PGD can be afforded by the well off families, in the future there will be some sort of line splitting the disease-free middle and high classes, and the poor. Many ethical issues and conflicts will rise up. If this trend does continue in the future, it will psychologically and emotional affect the poor who have a family containing infectious and complicated diseases, deformities or abnormalities.

At the rate that technology is transforming, PGD has a chance of being used more around the world, which directly means that the costs will be lowered. In the long term, people have said that PGD will be used for the wrong reasons. ‘Designer babies’ are what they call babies who have gone through the PGD procedure and the genes have been modified for appearance and characteristic reasons [2]. This is taking advantage of the procedure, and using it for reasons other than the purpose it had when it was created. This has raised many concerns within the society as to if this should be continued or not. One way the procedure can be used wrongly is wanted to change all the natural genetic characteristics and creating a baby that looks nothing like the parents. Many believe that children are gifts, and should not be modified. Perfection is not what’s important in life; everybody has his or her own opinion of perfection. It is imperfections make everyone unique and different in the world.

Bibliography preceding

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Adam Roberts

16th of Feb 2013

This very well written piece covers all the main ethical issues associated with embryo screening. A little more information about the techniques involved in the screening process might usefully have been included.

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