Designer Babies?
Coming Soon: Designer Babies?
Embryo screening for genes that cause disease is already happening. How far will it go?
Is the age of "designer babies" looming closer? In Britain, four couples have won approval for embryo screening for cancer genes. Some consider it a controversial case. All the couples are affected by an inherited form of aggressive colon cancer and are getting in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments to get pregnant. The couples appealed to the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority -- which governs embryo screening in Britain -- to allow them to select an embryo without the cancer gene. They have won that right. Now, their child and future generations are unlikely to have the cancer gene. Could this happen in the U.S.? Are we on a slippery slope leading toward designer babies with "basketball star" genes, green eyes, or curly hair?
To find out, WebMD spoke with a few experts
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/96/103766.htm
From:
Aftermath News
Top Stories - November 14th, 2004
Embryo screening for genes that cause disease is already happening. How far will it go?
Is the age of "designer babies" looming closer? In Britain, four couples have won approval for embryo screening for cancer genes. Some consider it a controversial case. All the couples are affected by an inherited form of aggressive colon cancer and are getting in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments to get pregnant. The couples appealed to the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority -- which governs embryo screening in Britain -- to allow them to select an embryo without the cancer gene. They have won that right. Now, their child and future generations are unlikely to have the cancer gene. Could this happen in the U.S.? Are we on a slippery slope leading toward designer babies with "basketball star" genes, green eyes, or curly hair?
To find out, WebMD spoke with a few experts
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/96/103766.htm
From:
Aftermath News
Top Stories - November 14th, 2004
Starmail - 14. Nov, 18:10
