I learnt a little bit about ‘Designer Babies’ in Biology this semester and it got me thinking about what the future will bring in terms of genetic selection BUT before I go into more detail, I’ll give you a little background information…
On July 25, 1978, the
worlds first ‘test tube’ baby was born and since then an exponential increase
in assisted reproductive technologies has occurred, giving hope to the 1 in 3
couples globally who suffer from infertility. As processes became more
advanced, procedures such as PGD (Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis) were
established and the age of designer babies was ‘born.’
When PGD was first
performed in 1989 it had the potential to diagnose over 200 diseases; latest
research indicates that its potential as a genetic screening tool has doubled
in recent years. PGD, which can be performed in conjunction with IVF (In Vitro
fertilization) is used to test embryos for inherited genetic disorders as it establishes the genetic makeup of the
embryo.
Also used for aneuploid
testing, this form of genetic screening can establish the gender of the embryo.
Gender selection was established to exclude many of the sex linked diseases for
example; hemophilia and some muscular dystrophies, currently however there is
an increasing public demand to use this procedure to select the preferred sex
of babies. PGD for gender
selection on the basis of choice was discontinued in Australia in 2005,
following a release issued by the Australian Health Ethics Committee.
Now, I hope you can see why this got me
thinking!! Well this... and the fact that I watched the 1997 film “Gattaca”- "A science-fiction film set in the near future".
Gender selection has already moved passed
its purpose of selecting against sex linked diseases, as people are now using it to create their perfect family. Just recently, Victoria "Posh" Beckham used PGD so
that she could have the baby girl she always wanted! Now I’m not saying gender selection is
a bad thing but when does society draw a line. Research is already being
conducted into using PGD to determine phenotypic traits (physical characteristics), this means in the ‘not to distant future’ there lies the possibility of
selecting the colour of your babies eyes, hair, skin and maybe even athletic abilities.
The 'science-fiction' and futuristic world of Gattaca may not be as far fetched as we all may
have imagined and perhaps not fiction at all…
No comments:
Post a Comment