Doctors weigh in on ‘designer baby’ phenomenon
(sz) Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ) to discuss matter at symposium this week
Six years ago when Suzette Jackson and her husband, Aaron decided they would try to conceive through in vitro fertilisation, if they could have chosen certain characteristics for their twin babies they would have flatly refused. For them, it was more than enough that Suzette had conceived, let alone given birth to two healthy babies. This was an easy decision for the Aarons.
But for some parents, the decision is not as simple. For example, in 2004, when scientists took the decision to create five healthy babies to provide stem cells for siblings with serious non-heritable conditions, there was a great public outcry. Many condemned the move as being “unlawful” and “unethical”.
The babies were created using a technique called pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD, which involved testing the embryos for a tissue type match for the ailing siblings.
Indeed, since the upsurge of advance reproductive technologies, doctors are now closer to creating these customised babies, popularly referred to as “designer babies”, which are essentially free of genetic disorders such as sickle cell and Down Syndrome. What is more, is that the PGD technology gives parents the option of choosing the sex of their baby. more…
From: »The Jamaica Observer«