What ethical concerns does PGD technology present?
At present, nearly all-pregnant women are offered some form of prenatal screening and diagnosis. Since PGD allows for screening embryos before they are transferred, many believe that it spares some couples from the emotionally wrenching ordeal of having to decide about a second trimester pregnancy termination if their baby has a genetic disorder. PGD has been generally applied to identify genetically abnormal embryos known to cause significant health issues in the newborn. The Ethics Committee of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) has established ethical guidelines regarding sex selection and PGD. According to the Committee’s recommendations, PGD used for sex selection for non-medical reasons should not be encouraged. Moreover, the initiation of IVF with PGD solely for sex selection was strongly discouraged.
