Doctors promoting development of centre that allows parent to chose to have infants free of genetic diseases

Doctors in Scotland want to develop a centre where couples who face a high risk of passing on genetic conditions are able to have children created who are free of the conditions. Genetic conditions that could be prevented include muscular dystrophy, haemophilia, cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease. The process where by these conditions are prevented is called pre-implantation genetic diagnosis where IVF embryos are tested for the genetic defects and healthy ones are implanted into the womb. The process has been undertaken to produce 5 healthy babies in Scotland. However, pro-lifers are totally against the procedure as they say it only allows the legal killing of people with disabilities. Another controversial procedure is where a baby is created that has umbilical cord that provides and identical donor tissue match that can be used to save another sibling from lethal conditions such as Beta Thalassaemia.

Source: summary of medical news story as reported by Scotland on Sunday

Related Disease Topics:

• Haemophilia
• Muscular dystrophy
• Cystic fibrosis
• Sickle cell anemia
• Genetic disorder
• Pregnancy
• Disability
• Beta Thalassaemia

Article Source Details

About: Doctors promoting development of centre that allows parent to chose to have infants free of genetic diseases

Date: 19 December 2004

Source: Scotland on Sunday

Author: Kate Foster

URL: http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1448302004

Related Medical Topics

This summary article refers to the following medical categories:

• IVF
• Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis
• Surgery
• Surgery and IVF
• Surgery and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis
• Diagnosis and haemophilia
• Diagnosis and muscular dystrophy
• Diagnosis and cystic fibrosis
• Diagnosis and sickle cell anemia
• Diagnosis and genetic disorder
• Diagnosis and pregnancy
• Diagnosis and disability
• Diagnosis and Beta Thalassaemia
• Risk and muscular dystrophy
• Risk and cystic fibrosis
• Risk and sickle cell anemia
• Risk and genetic disorder
• Risk and pregnancy
• Risk and disability
• Risk and Beta Thalassaemia

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