PDG and Liberal Eugenics
Written by Summer Bowman
Jessica is a 30-year-old woman who has recently decided to try having a child with her husband, Eziah. They are unable to get pregnant naturally, and they decide to consult with a physician. The doctor diagnoses Eziah with infertility, and recommends in-vitro fertilization (IVF) to improve the chances of fertilization.
During Jessica’s IVF consultation, she notices that the facility offers an additional genetic service called pre-implantation genetic screening (PGD). PGD involves the screening of embryos produced via IVF for genetic conditions as well as physical traits to allow the couple to select which embryo they want to be implanted. Since most miscarriages and unsuccessful IVF implantations are cuased by chromosomally abnormal embryos, PGD often allows these patients to successfully become pregnant (2).
Jessica and Eziah are able to afford this costly procedure and decide to undergo IVF and PGD. The results of the genetic screening are the following: the first IVF embryo has the BRCA2 mutation*; the second embryo is trisomic for chromosome 21**; the third embryo has higher chances of depression and anxiety; the fourth embryo shows no sign of any health-related conditions. During their next visit, the couple selects the fourth embryo for implantation because they feel this child would experience the highest quality of life. The other embryos are destroyed.
*Genetic mutation in the BRCA2 gene which increases the likelihood of developing breast cancer by 40 to 60 % by the age of 70. This mutation also increases risk for developing other cancers (1).
**Type of Down Syndrome characterized by intellectual disability, weak muscle tone, cognitive delays, mild to moderate intellectual disability (3).
Questions:
What is your initial response to this case?
PGD (which involves IVF) is incredibly expensive, and there are concerns that the use of PGD could eventually result in unequal power distributions and homogeneity of the population. Does the genetic selection of the best embryo represent an instance of liberal eugenics?
Disease can be defined in a variety of ways and is typically regarded as a subjective evaluation. How does the definition of disease affect this case and would a universal definition have to be established in order to use PGD consistently?
How, if at all, would this case be different if instead of genetic diseases, physical traits such as attractiveness were genetically selected for?
Works Cited
Breastcancer.org. (21, Apr. 2021). Genetics: Breast Cancer Risk Factors. Retrieved Feb 22, 2022, from https://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/genetics#:~:text=And%20for%20those%20with%20a,breast%20cancer%20by%20age%2070.
Westchester Fertility & Reproductive Endocrinology. (2017, Aug. 17). Advanced Treatments: Preimplantation Genetic Screening (PGS/PGD). Retrieved Feb 22, 2022, from https://www.westchesterfertility.com/advanced-treatments/preimplantation-genetic-diagnosis-pgd/.
MedlinePlus. (2020, Sept. 08). Genetic Conditions: Down Syndrome. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved Feb 28, 2022, from https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/down-syndrome/.
