8 of 12

No

Write now Article Tools

Taking advantage of any reproductive technique is both a subjective personal issue and an ethical issue. For genetic screening and engineering, the personal part relates to dealing with sterility and the lengths some people go in order to have a child made of their own DNA (or DNA of their choosing). The options for would-be parents who are unable to conceive naturally have expanded in the past few decades to include medical manipulations of DNA that were previously science fiction. Questions about the ethics of such options hang in the air still and are added to when further steps are made. For many, the procedures of in vitro fertilization (IVF), oocyte retrieval, hormone therapies, egg and sperm donation, and nucleus transfer are unimaginable because of personal beliefs. Other people would be unwilling to consider surrogates. Still others would not cross their own invisible line and adopt, yet would undergo the previously mentioned procedures others balk at based on personal beliefs. Many of the reasons behind a person's individual choice include religion, experience, level of comfort with the procedures, finances, and how strong the psychological need to procreate is, including the need for it to be biologically theirs.

The ethics of the situation should look at the end benefit as well as the risk of the means. Is procreation necessary for the greater good? Is the personal benefit worth any personal risk? Starting with the easier question - The personal benefit outweighing the risk is dependent on what is undertaken and subjective based on the health and state of mind of the couple (or woman) involved. This is why it has been so difficult for any laws on the matter to be passed. It ultimately is up to the person undergoing the procedure as to whether something that is not necessary for their health (elective) has acceptable risk, especially when the risk is minimal.

However, there is another factor at play for the context of this particular debate - the idea of manipulating the genetics of a potential fetus, not just to conceive, but to make it "better". This can not happen. It simply can't. Scientists could manipulate the genes they know for the diseases they know, but what about the diseases they don't yet know about? What about the minor alterations and how they affect the larger picture of who or what that child is? The doctor may eliminate the genetic alteration known to cause diabetes, but what if the child had that to counteract a different mutation

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Would you be willing to take advantage of genetic screening/engineering to overcome sterility and guarantee a child free of genetic diseases??
We want to hear your view. Write now!