[Coleus]

"In the future, many specialists believe, most in vitro fertilizations will be performed for fertile couples seeking genetic diagnosis, not as a treatment for infertility." >>>>

the slippery slope, the end does not justify the means.

Once government begins to define life and humanity, there is no end to the possibilities for subjective and selective determination as to who will be allowed to live.

[The Cuban]

Oh, isn't this a heartwarming story? They choose the kids they want, and kills those that they don't. Pelosi's heart must be warmed by this great news.

[neverdem]

IMHO, it seems like another Pandora's box. But to each, his or her own. Doc's will probably be successfully sued for not offering counseling about preimplantation genetic diagnosis. I was just about to post this with the printer friendly page and four of the many links. Here's two.

Graphic: Screening Embryos for Future Disease P.S. Enlarge the graphic to read it.

Statistics for 2006 (American Cancer Society)

[Clara Lou]

I wonder if dad Chad wishes he'd been "culled."

[farlander]

Anyone see Gattaca ? The slippery slope of eugenics. Once you get down that path... it's pretty scary.

[MichiganConservative]

Typical. Someone else's life isn't worth living if they (may) have a set of circumstances you wouldn't want. I wonder if the guy thinks his parents shouldn't have lived since they have colon cancer. I wonder if he develops it, will he regret having lived. I wonder what these people think sometimes. We are all going to die some day. Even if you can prolong it for decades, there's always the possibility of you just getting killed by younger people to get you out of the way. I guess you can live with principles or rationalizations.

[therut]

This is just Eigenics at an earlier stage than was available before. Oh I know they will say it does prevent human suffering including that of the child, parents and society.

[madprof98]

There's an excellent analysis of this Times article on the Mere Comments blog for Touchstone magazine today: "Baby's Got Her New Genes On."

[metmom]

ping

[patton]

I think I am going to be ill. Crohn's, anyone? ADHD?

[TheDon]

You can dress eugenics up all you want, it is still murder.

[NYer]

By subjecting Chloe to a genetic test when she was an eight-cell embryo in a petri dish, Mr. Kingsbury and his wife, Colby, were able to determine that she did not harbor the defective gene. That was the reason they selected her, from among the other embryos they had conceived through elective in vitro fertilization, to implant in her mother’s uterus.

Slippery slope, indeed. Chloe did not harbor the colon cancer gene, so she is allowed to be born. When Chloe reaches puberty, she may very well develop AIDS or leukemia or breast cancer .. or ... she may end up like the 20 year old son of a friend, dead, from a head on collision.

Yes, the new age process of selective breeding resolves one problem. Who knows what magnificent contributions to medicine her 'siblings' might have contributed, had they been allowed the same lease on life.

Can you just imagine the parents telling Chloe how special she is! It's no longer the stork story but "we chose you" over the other fertilized embryos because you didn't carry the colon cancer gene.

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[M. Dodge Thomas]

We are witnessing the very early stages of the what will be a dramatically increasing difference between children created "on purpose" and children created "by accident".

Like it or not, within two generations it will be the minority of highly "imperfect" naturals who are regarded with pity by everyone else.

[jas3]

Let's pose a different question here for a minute.

Many people on this thread feel very very strongly that life begins at conception. At least one poster believes that it begins at implantation. Another won't say what she believes, but has studied fetal development to come to her views. And others feel that life begins when there is some sort of neural development. In every case, we all agree that life begins no earlier than AT conception.

Medical science is at an awkward stage in which one can test a blastosphere for a genetic defect, but cannot test a sperm and an egg prior to conception.

Within a few years it is highly probably that both eggs and sperm will be able to be tested (and even in fact engineered) PRIOR to conception.

Would either a). testing of naturally occurring eggs and sperm or b). engineering eggs and sperm prior to fertilisation be morally acceptable to those of you who oppose the destruction of embryos?

It either case, there would be no destruction of life or of potential life.

Does this resolve all moral problems AND solve the problem here where parents with genetic disorders want to bear children without those disorders?

jas3

[franky]

Our God is a jealous God, He will have no other Gods before Him.

And chastisement will increase.

[Coleus]

When The Unborn Doesn't Go Quietly To His Execution, "Tiny Tim"

Couples Cull Embryos to Halt Heritage of Cancer

SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS OREGON'S SUICIDE LAW

Stem cell experts seek rabbit-human embryo

Sex-Selection by Embryo Screening Approved for US Trial

First Trio "Married" in The Netherlands

Disabled man beaten in small town (LOWRY CITY, Mo)

Michael Schiavo Poised To Sue Caregivers

Did a Doctor Kill Her Baby?;

Half of Infant Deaths in Flanders Were Euthanasia

[TAdams8591]

WOW, a better example of BOLD NEW WORLD does NOT come to mind.

[syriacus]

According to the link in the article, their aborted children could have lived 40 years or more, before diagnosis.

The parents are control freaks, willing to kill their offspring instead of doing the hard work of pushing for a cure.

Few advances in medicine come from people who consider abortion or euthanasia to be cure.

[the invisib1e hand]

wow. just imagine what happens when your "genetic score" can be had by anyone from some internet huckster for $29.95.

Imagine the possibilities for class warfare! The leftist politicians will think they're in heaven.

[SuziQ]

Well, we're all gonna die from something. They may think they have kept their daughter from ever contracting colon cancer, but what if she contracts a different cancer? What if she's hit by a car on her way home from school one day? How will they handle that? Will they feel cheated that they went through all that to save her, but still couldn't?

We ain't God, and we shouldn't try to play Him.