Pro-Life Doctors Dismiss Chris Fearne’s ‘Ludicrous’ Claim Genetically Deformed Embryos May Be Adopted
Health Minister Chris Fearne’s claim that people may choose to adopt embryos that have serious genetic defects are “ludicrous”, a group representing pro-life doctors has warned.
“The notion that these ‘genetically abnormal’, discarded embryos will be adopted is ludicrous,” Doctors for Life said. “The public should not be misled. These embryos will be left permanently frozen.”
The government plans to update Malta’s IVF laws to allow couples to test their embryos for serious genetic problems like gangliosidosis and Huntington’s Disease prior to implantation.
Embryos found to contain genes for these conditions will be cryopreserved and will be put up for adoption if the couple gives up control of them or if prospective mother turns 48, the maximum permissible age for IVF.
Fearne insisted that people may want to adopt these embryos if and when advances in medical science make the conditions treatable.
However, Doctors for Life pointed out that 388 embryos are already currently cryopreserved following the most recent update to Malta’s IVF laws in 2018.
None have been put up for adoption so far, although it is questionable why anyone would want to opt to adopt a stranger’s embryo rather than use their own genetic material or adopt a child.
Doctors for Life warned that while reducing illness in children is a desirable goal, pre-genetic testing of embryos “doesn’t eliminate illness but eliminates the ill” by “identifying the sick [embryos] and discarding them”.
Instead, they called for the introduction of Polar Body Testing, which involves a limited screening for genetic conditions on the ova prior to the formation of an embryo.
“With this method, parental concerns would be addressed by screening for specific conditions; however this would be done before we form the embryos, not after,” they said.
“Like this, we would truly reduce the burden of illness by preventing the formation of embryos that carry the conditions as opposed to the current proposal which merely identifies and permanently freezes ‘genetically abnormal’ embryos that are already formed.”
“Whilst the screening is not as broad as PGD it avoids all the ethical burdens.”
Do you think anyone will choose to adopt an embryo with a serious genetic condition?
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