Question

In Vitro fertilization allows for selection of an embryo with specific genetic traits. Have you read the book by Jodi Picoult, My Sister's Keeper or watched the movie based on the book? If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, here is a short synopsis of the story from Jodi Picout's website from which you can base your learning log on:

"Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate - a life and a role that she has never questioned… until now."

While the story is a work of fiction the ability to screen embryos to be selected for such a scenario is a reality. What do you think? Is this just an advancement of medicine or our we overstepping our ethical boundaries? Defend your side of the debate with some scientific research from a reliable scientific source or website.

Answer 1

When we consider IVF and specific screening of embryos, it has its own pros and consequences. IVF has its own adantages like a case where IVF was required due to blocked or broken fallopian tubes, woman with oavrian failures ,ovarioan disorders, uterine fibrodis etc. In case of men with less sperm count, IVF is sometimes preferred. But one needs to be very precise in terms of diagnosis and scientific aspects can help one to decide whether going for IVF is a suitable thing. IVF depends on age, diet, weight and many other ovarian and uterine parameters. Each thing needs too be carefully diagnosed before deciding whether couple can go for IVF or not. We must make sure that, we correctly diagnose the mothers and fathers in terms of conceiving a child. Many a times, clinicians (for the sake of business making, lak of ethics) demand the couple to go for IVF even if they are aware of the fact that chances of having a child is very less or none. Selection of embryos need to be done very carefully to make sure that right kind of genetic material without any major disease prospects for the foetus/mother. One needs to be careful and sure about various diagnostic parameters to obtain a healthy embryo. Its a chance event and methodically analysing it can indeed be useful in preventing many diseases.

Both the couples need to be patient and strong, although one needs to undestand the body parameter as well to clearly illustrate whether child will be born after IVF and proper sceening of embryos.

Literature suggests the optimised selection of embryo for a good IVF treatment ( Embryo selection in IVF, Oxford press, Mastenbroek, 2011). Proper and elegant cryopreservation can be utilised without impairing the pregnancy rate.