The Use Of Ivf And Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis ( Pgd ) Essay

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is a form of genetic testing. It is similar to the screening of abnormal chromosome count only used to test for genetic diseases. The fertility institutes have used this to take gender selection to the next level. Stating that this has a greater than 99,9% success rate.

A Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) is a test that “allows future parents to detect genetic defects that cause inherited disease in human embryos before they are implanted.” One of the most ethical questions that one might ask before considering the PGD is whether the benefits of genetic knowledge outweigh harmful effects that occur to the embryo? Is it really worth manipulating embryos genes in order to achieve the desire of the parents? Often times we have to take into considerations the risk and benefits of each situation. I believe that the PGD test should be only be done to detect genetic defects, but it should not be used to manipulate genes in order to make what to them is a “perfect” child. As stated in our text, “ In the united Kingdom alteration of an embryos genes, even for gene therapy or cloning embryos is illegal.” By manipulating genes its like going against Gods wishes. In the eyes of God every person that comes into this world is equally seen as a human being because they are all created in “ the image of God.” In this case the parents should not be allowed to manipulate the genes of their unborn child just to accommodate to their

Embryonic tissue that was removed is first tested for genetic abnormalities. This is done so that the healthiest embryos are frozen and implanted. Dr. Timothy Yeko, a medical director of the assisted reproductive technology program at the Reproductive Medicine Group in Tampa, talked about the genetic testing, “ Most of our patients now choose to have this genetic testing, which has come into widespread use in the past year or so. By doing this , the miscarriage rate has dropped by 50 percent because the genetically abnormal embryos are the ones that end in miscarriage.”

United States genetic centers now offer DNA tests for over 30 or 40 of the more commonly inherited disorders. Those including cystic fibrosis, susceptibility to breast cancer, X syndrome, Huntington’s disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and many other various disorders (Golden). Also, with recent developments, couples are able to have a pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). This procedure allows the testing of genetic disorders before germination. It consists of “petri-dish” testing of sperm and egg cells donated by the soon to be parents. This procedure prevents the idea of abortion, for if genetic problems occur, you are not destroying a fetus, but simple flushing away embryo cells.

Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis is a technology that “has steadily expanded its scope, often in contentious ways. Embryo screening, for example, is sometimes used to create a “savior sibling”-- a younger sister or brother whose healthy cells can be harvested to treat an older sibling with serious illness, It is also increasingly used to weed out embryos at risk of genetic diseases” (Robinson). After awhile of using PGD to help a child or make sure nothing was to happen to a child they realized that the could even change the appearances of children. By doing this they take away racial diversity and end up making the world have genetic consequences. By letting this happen this means the world would be okay with only having a few races and children who are either made without being genetically engineered or being genetically engineered and feel like they are a better

The element of excitement when procreating offspring ceases with the development of Genetic Engineering. Parents will no longer wonder if their child will have grandma’s curly brown mane or Uncle Todd’s piercing gray gaze. The scientific breakthrough in technology of Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD), originally created to screen diseases in embryos, has now become tantamount to an online shopping cart for determining cosmetic traits. To the parents who wish to decide what their children look like, you may be headed in the direction of becoming Adolf Hitler Lite. Using reproductive technologies to determine cosmetic features borders on scientifically useless and irresponsible, as it is basically a guise to revive eugenics.

Infertility is a medical diagnosis that affects millions of couples each year. This medical diagnosis has been around for centuries. Reasons for infertility range from simple issues to more complex with both partners being affected. Around 1980’s medical procedures began in the Unites States for treatment. Since then there has been major advancement in infertility (Infertility United States, 1982).

The procedure is repeated for each blastomere and the "disorder-free" cells are returned to the blastocyst for further incubation and later implanted into the mother.3 Micromanipulation mimics the purpose of other genetic diagnosis approaches like amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling.5,4 In these procedures a sample of the amniotic fluid and/or the placenta are taken during pregnancy for genetic diagnosis. If signs of genetic abnormality exist, pregnancy might be and usually is terminated. What types of genetic abnormalities can PID screen for? First of all, only high-risk cases are tested, meaning either one (25 percent risk) or both parents (50 percent risk) is/are known carriers or persons with the disease. Furthermore, conditions must be pre-confirmed and studied before the procedure can be done because there is such a little amount of sample (cells) test. Therefore, there is a limitation on the capability of the procedure to effectively weed out genetic irregularity.3 The following genetic disorders may now be prevented using the PID method:

“For years, reproductive specialists have been helping people become parents, even enabling them to choose the sex of their baby. One fertility doctor is taking things a step further, offering what some are calling ‘designer babies,’ as Early Show national correspondent Hattie Kauffman reports” (CBS News). Though designer babies are not yet feasible, choosing the gender of the baby is. This is possible through in-vitro fertilization, a process in which an egg is retrieved from a mother and sperm is donated by a father, then combined together in a lab to make a fertilized egg. During this process, it is possible for the parents to allow the egg to go through Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis. PGD is when embryologists remove a cell from the

October 2001 - Fertility experts announce they will begin to offer PGD for use in sex selection to clients

The first step in dealing with IVF failure is to understand what is needed for a successful IVF

In the United States, an estimated 2.3 million couples are considered infertile [Wekesser, 1996]. This creates a large need for infertility specialists and clinics specializing in fertility treatments. With the quickly advancing field of rep roductive services and the quest for creating better, healthier babies, a new service called Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) is being offered in conjunction with In vitro fertilization.

PGD is known as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. “It is a procedure involving the removal of one or two cells from an embryo and subsequent genetic testing of these cells for specific genetic conditions or chromosomal disorders. PGD involves having an IVF treatment. During the IVF cycle, one or more cells are removed from each embryo in a procedure called embryo biopsy, which typically happens on day 3 or 5 after egg collection. The biopsied cells are the transported to a genetic testing laboratory, while the embryos from which the cells were obtained continue to develop in the IVF clinic. The results from the genetic testing laboratory are ready one or two days after biopsy, and are used to decide which embryos are suitable for transfer or freezing for future use. Sometimes none of the embryos are suitable for transfer.” (1)

associated with the use of advanced assisted reproductive technology (Teays&Purdy, 2001, Bioethics,Justice,&Health Care,p.648).Currently, the number of in vitro fertilization procedures that can be performed by 100 heath-care workers is about 1,000 per year. Any implication of medical and laboratory procedures that could improve results would decrease the number of healthcare workers needed and ultimately lower the cost per procedure (Teays&Purdy, 2001, Bioethics,Justice,&Health Care,p648).

Jennifer Rosenberg on about.com (n.d.), had stated, “On July 254, 1978, Louise Joy Brown, the world’s first successful ‘test-tube’ baby was born in Great Britain.” This was advancement in the medical history for women everywhere who had difficulty getting pregnant; this medical breakthrough, known as In-vitro fertilization, or IVF, since Louise Joy Brown’s birth had only grown in ease and the amount of people that use this technology is at an all-time high. The CDC (2014) stated on their website that, “Number of women ages 15-44 who have ever used infertility services: 7.4 million.” This is a massive number of people that use this service. In-vitro fertilization’s advancement in medical technology allows people to have children despite