Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis: Ethical Aspects

• In preimplantation genetic diagnosis, genetic traits of embryos are detected before the initiation of pregnancy. Although tampering with embryos is morally controversial, this procedure may seem to reduce ethical problems in prenatal diagnosis by offering the possibility of selecting offspring, on the basis of genetic information, more efficiently and without any need to consider abortion. However, counseling of patients becomes more complicated, and the procedure may seem to make the outside influence of their decisions easier to both achieve and justify. As a consequence, preimplantation genetic diagnosis raises concerns about the connection between the preselection of children on genetic grounds and the discrimination of disabled people. Moreover, it introduces the new ethical problem of whether or not the selection of future children on the basis of nonpathological traits should be acceptable practice.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology (hsv//eng)

HUMANIORA  -- Filosofi, etik och religion -- Filosofi (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Philosophy, Ethics and Religion -- Philosophy (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Övrig annan samhällsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Medicinsk genetik (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine -- Medical Genetics (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Reproduktionsmedicin och gynekologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Hälso- och sjukvårdsorganisation, hälsopolitik och hälsoekonomi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Health Care Service and Management, Health Policy and Services and Health Economy (hsv//eng)

Keyword

assisted reproduction; ethics; genetic testing; HLA-typing; in vitro fertilization; policy; pre-conception diagnosis; PGD-AS; preimplantation genetic diagnosis; prenatal diagnosis

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kap (subject category)