Genetic testing of embryos has been around for more than a decade, but its use has soared in recent years as methods have improved and more disease-causing genes have been discovered. The in vitro fertilization and testing are expensive \u201d\u201d typically about $20,000 \u201d\u201d but they make it possible for couples to ensure that their children will not inherit a faulty gene and to avoid the difficult choice of whether to abort a pregnancy if testing of a fetus detects a genetic problem.<\/p>\n
But the procedure also raises unsettling ethical questions that trouble advocates for the disabled and have left some doctors struggling with what they should tell their patients. When are prospective parents justified in discarding embryos? Is it acceptable, for example, for diseases like GSS, that develop in adulthood? What if a gene only increases the risk of a disease? And should people be able to use it to pick whether they have a boy or girl? A recent international survey found that 2 percent of more than 27,000 uses of preimplantation diagnosis were made to choose a child\u2019s sex.<\/p>\n
In the United States, there are no regulations that limit the method\u2019s use. The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, whose members provide preimplantation diagnosis, says it is \u201cethically justified\u201d\u009d to prevent serious adult diseases for which \u201cno safe, effective interventions are available.\u201d\u009d The method is \u201cethically allowed\u201d\u009d for conditions \u201cof lesser severity\u201d\u009d or for which the gene increases risk but does not guarantee a disease.<\/p>\n