Public consulted on embryo testing
A public consultation has been launched on how far scientists should go in testing embryos for diseases.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryo Authority (HFEA) currently allows ten clinics in Britain to test embryos for inherited conditions such as cystic fibrosis and Huntingdon’s disease.
But the fertility watchdog is now asking the public whether such testing should be extended to check for diseases which may appear later on in life, such as cancer and Alzheimer’s.
The presence of these genes does not mean a person will definitely develop the disease, but puts them at an increased risk of developing it later on.
The HFEA will launch the embryo-testing debate in conjunction with a discussion paper, Choices and Boundaries, which will look at the key questions surrounding the embryo-testing technique, known as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD).
PGD is a rapidly developing technique and there are concerns it may be used to create so-called ‘designer babies’ to suit parent specifications. Sex selection of babies is not generally permitted in the UK, but babies have been created to act as donors for a sick sibling.
The discussion paper raises ethical questions over whether or not it is right to test embryos for conditions the person may not develop anyway.
“We would like people to understand the possible uses of embryo testing techniques – both now and in the future – and to hear their views on testing for serious diseases that people have a lower chance of getting or that occur later on in life,” said HFEA chairwoman Suzi Leather.
“Looking ahead we may be asked to consider applications for these kinds of diseases in the near future and will therefore need to make choices about the types of conditions PGD can be used for.”
Advances in PGD may make it possible for women who have high-risk breast cancer genes and a family history of the disease to have fertility treatment using PGD to screen out the genes.
Pro-life campaigners were critical of the consultation, however, with charity Life calling for the HFEA’s powers to be “curtailed”.
“It is no coincidence that this announcement has been made just before the forthcoming government review of the HFE [Human Fertilisation and Embryo] Act,” spokesman Matthew O’Gorman said.
“The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) realises that to retain power they must appear to be interested in what the people have to say. In reality, the only opinions they value are their own.”
