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UK Considers Embryo Screening for Cancer

The UK's fertility watchdog is considering whether embryo screening technology should be used to stop babies from being born with genes that carry a higher risk of cancer [more].

Opponents claim that the move is a "slippery slope towards full-blown eugenics". No kidding!

Actually, the UK is already on the “slippery slope”. The screening technique, known as "pre-implantation genetic diagnosis" (PGD), is being used to detect and abort unborn children with cystic fibrosis and Huntington's disease.

The latest debate focuses on the use of genetic markers that indicate the potential, rather than certainty, of disease to determine whether an unborn baby lives or dies.

The first step was the abortion of babies with a known disease. The step under consideration is to end the life of the unborn who are at risk for disease. The next step will be to add parental and societal preferences to the screening process such as gender, eye color, and athletic ability.

Once the dignity of life is tied to genetic markers the door is open to any form of discrimination and eugenics programs.

Josephine Quintavalle, the spokeswoman of Comment on Reproductive Ethics (Core) said the only ethical way forward in applying new genetic knowledge was to find cures for the diseases themselves, rather than "kill the patients at the embryo or foetal stage".

Her argument is persuasive - the the value of human life is intrinsic and independent of genetic imperfection.

HT: Life Ethics

Update: Jill Stanek has more. When you visit her site check out Jill's shocking post on fetus art.

Posted by tim at August 15, 2005 12:28 PM

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