It seems inevitable that genetics and reconstructive medicine are taking us towards a future where we have choice in shaping our bodies and those of our future children, but in this future of "LEGO babies", what will the legal and moral implications be?
A recent article in PopSci, Infant Possibilities, explores the recent breakthroughs in genetic selection of pre-developmental embryos and the positive outcomes of using this process to screen for genetic defects and then re-implanting the most suitable embryo via in-vitro fertilization. While I'm sure you can see the incredible possibility that exists in this to eliminate genetic disorders, there also exists the possibility for selection of other characteristics as well. It might shock you to know that gender selection using this process is not only possible, it's legal, and it's been done already many times in the US.
As it turns out, using Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) for sex selection and even selection of physical attributes is legal in the majority of the developed world. There are a few notable exceptions, such as in the UK where it is only legal to screen for genetic disorders, but the rest of us seem fine with it. Why is that? Maybe it's because it's a cleaner, more civilized alternative to the sex-selective abortions that became rampant in China. Or maybe it's because it's becoming cheap enough that we don't worry that limited access to it will cause a surge of genetically superior babies from people of more considerable influence. Or possibly, the line between selecting your child's healthy genes and their potential eye color is so small, so benign, that we disassociate it with the implications that follow. Whatever the reasons, it's not going anywhere, and just as the legality of post-birth self modification or augmentation is yet to be fully decided, I'm sure we'll be arguing about this in courts for a while to come.
In 2006, a survey conducted by the Phoebe R. Berman Bioethics Institute at John Hopkins University, that found that nearly 42% of IVF clinics in the US offer non-medical application of their selective process. But possibly even more concerning, is the revelation that these clinics source outside labs 86% of the time for the majority of their genetic analysis. Just as the debate over genetic selection has it's sticking points, so does the debate on access to genetic information. Are we sure that we are prepared for the legal ramifications of sharing our genetic makeup indiscriminately among corporate laboratories?
As it stands, I'm not sure that our legal system is prepared for what's coming. Too few checks and balances, and too many warning signs already from related incidents of information leaking and legal loopholes used by individuals not interested in playing by the rules. I'm sure whatever is to come, it's going to be interesting.
The question is, are you ready for the rise of the LEGO babies?
If you'd like to take a look at the survey conducted by the Phoebe R. Berman Bioethics Institute, you can access it here.
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