Essay On Preimplantation Genetic Testing

Preimplantation genetic testing is a genetic technique in which cells are removed from embryos to examine chromosomal abnormalities in vitro fertilization before a woman gives birth (King). Embryos made through in vitro fertilization would face genetic modification to avoid passing the defects onto future generations. After modification, only embryos free of abnormalities would be placed into the mother’s womb. This technique is targeted for parents who have a high risk of passing a fatal inherited disease to their offspring. It can benefit society by preventing a child whose parent is carrying copies of the genes for a disease such as Huntington’s from becoming affected (Sermone). Huntington’s disease (HD) is a progressive disease in which …show more content…
The dots can then be counted to identify the embryos that contain translocation or aneuploidy and only healthy embryos will be used (PGD). A disadvantage of using the FISH technique is that only 10 to 12 chromosomes can be analyzed at a time, while a human cell contains 46 chromosomes. This lessens the chances of transferring a healthy embryo to the mother’s womb, because some mutated chromosomes might not have been discovered (“PGD/PDS”). However, this technique would be useful for Huntington’s disease because the CAG repeats that cause the disease are only located on chromosome 4 (HD).
Along with preventing inherited diseases such as Huntington’s disease, PGD can also help parents with infertility issues or women who have had frequent miscarriages (Sermone). Many people who may wish to have children are unable to or chose not to because of these factors. Some parents with a high risk of passing down inherited diseases to their children may get an abortion out of fear. PGD gives these parents a better chance to avoid this. For parents unable to successfully have children, this also expands their opportunity to have