=pre-implantation genetic diagnosis
How it works
- a woman is given fertility drugs, e.g. hormones
- the woman produces multiple eggs
- once they are produced, the eggs get taken out of the woman, so that the Embryos can get analysed for genetic defects and tissue (=Gewebe) compatibility
- only healthy embryos are injected into uterus
- mother gives birth to genetically healthy baby
- transfusion of umbilical cord blood to sick child → the umbilical cord gets taken to open it and use its stem cells to transfuse those over a transfusion to the gentically sick human
the concept of saviour siblings
- A saviour sibling is a brother or a sister who has been specifically created for the purpose of curing a sick brother or sister.
- Without a transplant a genetically sick human would have died within short period of time.
- The procedure has been widely critized as human beings seem to have been reduced to commodities and embryos are destroyed in the process.
arguments for and against PGD
| pro arguments |
opposing arguments |
| you are able to save lives |
baby could feel unwanted because it just exists to safe the sibling |
| prents could prepare themselves for a life with an ill child |
moral dilemma: |
- save the child with an disease
- just getting a second child to safe the life ot the ill child |
| prevent the family from ohter genetical diseases | not the natural way of life |
| sibling is able to live without restrictions in its normal life | embryo gets damaged in 20% of the cases |
| make the life of the child and the parents easier | history of eugenics → the PGD could be abused (e.g. Nazis) |
| you can prevent a genetically sick baby | only healthy babys might be born in the future → every baby is not giving from nature |