Embryonic screening breakthrough prompts new 'designer babies' fears

BY FREDDY GRAY
OPPONENTS of eugenics have expressed alarm that Britain is on the verge of becoming a society of designer babies, after reports of significant developments in embryonic screening.
Pro-life groups say that the use of a new method — pioneered by British scientists — of testing for genetic "faults" so that they may be eliminated means that Britons may soon expect every child to be "perfect". The technique means that parents will be able to have their embryos tested for almost any genetically inherited disease and destroy those considered "defective".
"No matter how advanced the technology for doing this becomes, it remains ruthless and primitive," said Josephine Quintavalle from Comment on Reproductive Ethics. "This is generally being presented as a cure, but in no way does it represent any form of treatment. It is just a more sophisticated weapon of mass destruc: ti on ."
Campaigners say they are particularly concerned by the positive way in which the media has greeted the news. Ms Quintavalle added that the language employed by the secular media was "very telling". She said: "They talk about 'weeding out' defective embryos. So, the disabled embryo is considered a `weed' that needs to be eliminated. This shows that our understanding of human life is increasingly based on physical perfection." Matthew O'Gorman, spokesman for Life, the prolife counselling charity, agreed. "This form of screening is performed with the intent to seek and destroy the most vulnerable members of the human species," he added. "Embryo screening does not cure disease but kills the carrier. If we really wish to promote the dignity of all human beings and be a society that welcomes every individual we should not eliminate embryos who fail to meet the standards set by the strong."
Patrick Carr of the Linacre Centre, the Catholic Bioethics Institute, said the latest development in Pre implantation Genetic Haplotyping (PGH) was part of a "rapidly advancing eugenicist project that seeks
to prevent the birth of anyone who falls short of a certain genetic ideal".
He added that much of the media coverage on the issue "obscured" the reality of the POD. "The dominant theme of the media coverage was that Haplotyping offers parents hope. This exploits the suffering of families affected by genetic diseases and plays upon the fears of prospective parents," he said.
"Naturally, parents wish their children to be as healthy as possible, but once a child is born, most parents would not callously choose to destroy each successive 'imperfect' child until they have one that meets their requirements."
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