Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Vancouver Week Two: The Fun Continues..."


Share your thoughts on Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagostics (PIGD). Assuming that there are no boundaries as to what PIGD can detect, to what extent do you think PIGD should be permitted? Should there be laws controlling the use of PIGD?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I believe that PIGD is a useful tool. However, there are limits to what it should be used for, as the decisions based on information from PIGD will effect potential human lives. The future of that group of cells that have been diagnosed should not be prevented because of "superficial" reasons, such as eye or hair colour.
However, those cells that have been diagnosed with a high risk for certain genetic diseases might be aborted for that reason. When making such a decision, topics such as the actual probability of getting certain diseases, what type of disease, the quality of life that the child will have even if he or she has the gene for a disease, must be taken into account.
With reasons for what PIGD should or shouldn't be used to detect, there will always be a "grey spot" where decisions aren't so easily made. This includes late-onset diseases where the child is able to live a normal life, or traits that, while they aren't ideal, will not greatly influence the child's life. Such cases should be treated on a case-by-case basis, with certain guidelines.