Case 2: A married couple wishes to have a child; however, the 32 year old mother

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Case 2: A married couple wishes to have a child; however, the 32 year old mother knows that he is a carrier for Huntington's disease (HD). HD is a genetic disorder that begins showing signs at anywhere from 35-45 ye of age. Its symptoms begin with slow loss of muscle control and end in loss of speech, large muscle spastm disorientation and emotional outbursts. After 15-20 years of symptoms HD ends in death. HD is a dominar disorder which means that her child will have a 50% chance of contracting the disorder. Feeling that riskin heir baby's health would be irresponsible, the couple decides to use in vitro fertilization to fertilize several he wife's eggs. Several eggs are harvested, and using special technology, only eggs that do not have the lefective gene are kept to be fertilized. The physician then fertilizes a single egg, and transfers the embryo he mother. Approximately 9 months later, the couple gives birth to a boy who does not carry the gene for th isorder. Is this a case of eugenics? "Eugenics" is defined as "the hereditary improvement of the human race controlled by selective breeding" (dictionary.com) es in Medical Ethics: Student-Led Discussions 2/9/14 11:25 Would it be acceptable for the parents to select for sex as well, or should they only select an embryo e t does not have HD? How would this be different? Is it ethical for this couple to have a baby when the mother could begin showings signs of HD when the baby is just a few years old? With this technology possible, would it be ethical for this couple to have a child without genetically ensuring it would not have the disease? What if we did not have this technology, would it be ethical for a known carrier to have a child? (If not, how far should this carry? a carrier for cystic fibrosis ( which is recessive)?) Weighing everything we have discussed, do you believe the couple acted ethically? tos C tA Snow

Explanation / Answer

Answer 1 :- They should select an embryo which does not have the traits. This is because of two reasons :- 1. Every female gamete contains sex chromosome as X. It is the male gamete which determines the sex of their progeny. 2. Whether male or female, it does not matter as the sex of the child will not decide its chances of carrying the genetic trait.

Answer 2:- Yes, the couple acted ethically. Given the advancement in modern technology, it is possible to avoid transmission of such defective traits into a progeny which will lead to its increased life expectancy.

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