Tuesday, August 16, 2005
EMBRYO SELECTION
Embryo screening to stop babies being born with genes that might lead to cancer in later life is being considered by Britain's fertility watchdog.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) yesterday launched a public consultation on the wider use of screening currently used by those with a family history of serious conditions such as cystic fibrosis and Huntington's disease.
The authority believes that requests are inevitable for the use of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), available at 10 fertility clinics across Britain, to screen for genes that could lead to a wide range of other conditions.
These could include inherited breast cancer, inherited ovarian cancer and hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer.
Controversially, the HFEA wants to hear the views of the public about screening for what it calls "later onset and lower penetrance disorders" - meaning the potential weeding out of embryos with genes that may or may not lead to diseases, sometimes late in life.
Continue reading the story...
Cancer can be expensive to treat. What will happen when this test is provided as an option and the health insurance industry gets their hands on it? Anyone born with the potential to develop cancer will not be insured? Parents who refuse to abort a potential cancer patient will not get health insurance for their newborn? Parents who bring potential cancer patients to term will be fined? Will people be allowed to simply conceive a child in the conventional way without medical interference? The potential for abuse out of this technology is enormous. There are some things we are better off not knowing. Why don't they spend available funds on finding a cure instead of wasting money on technology like this?
Hat tip to a reader.
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!
