PGD Argument Assignment

PGD Argument Assignment

Below are three scenarios involving the use of PGD.  Read each scenario and answer the questions with a thorough discussion.  You can type in your answers directly on this document, just make sure to use a different font color (like Green or Blue) so that it contrasts with the questions.  See the rubric at the end of the assignment for details on how your answers will be graded.

Scenario A: A family decides about genetic testing

Imagine that, in the next 10-15 years, scientists discover a series of genes linked to intelligence.  A test is developed that can be performed on embryos before they are implanted in a woman, and a company begins to sell the test to doctors.  The company that sells the test claims children who are selected for intelligence could go on to better colleges, better jobs, etc.

You want to give your children every advantage possible.  You moved to be closer to the best school in your neighborhood and you spend as much time as possible helping with homework.  Your child knows how important it is to work hard at school.

You used IVF for your first child because of fertility issues and expect you will use it again.  You are now debating whether to use this new PGD test to select an embryo.

Discussion Questions: (10 points each)

1. Should parents be allowed to test embryos for intelligence? Why or Why not? Is it acceptable for a company to sell a test that says it can help parents choose a smart child?  Explain

2. If you were the parent, how would you define intelligence? Is there only one way to be intelligent?  Is it better to be good at math rather than writing, for example?  Does having certain abilities make you smarter than having others?  Think about famous artist, such as Pablo Picasso or Frida Kahlo; if you gave them a chemistry test, do you think they would still appear brilliant?  Explain

3. Are you being fair to the oldest child? How would you feel if you were the older child, and your parent thinks you are not as mart as your younger sibling?  How would you feel if your parent had lower expectations for you?  Is this fair to the second child?

4. Do you think these decisions should include global considerations? What if the US bans this technology, but China, and Russia, and other countries don’t? Will we run the risk of becoming progressively less competitive in the global market as generations become “smarter” in these other countries? Explain your answer.

Scenario B: Congress is asked to vote on genetic testing of embryos

PGD can assess embryos for a specific genetic variant that may lead to disease.  It can also test the embryo’s potential to be a perfect match to donate stem cells to a sick sibling.  If a second child is born a match, blood cells from his or her umbilical cord would be removed via a painless procedure after the baby’s umbilical cord is cut and transplanted into the sick child.

You are a member of the United States House of Representatives.  Imagine that a bill has been proposed to ban some uses of PGD.  The bill argues that it is not in the best interest of a child to have been selected as a perfectly matched donor for an older sibling.

Supporters of the ban argue that children who are a perfect match to an older sibling may be pressured to donate additional tissues or organs to that sibling.  As children, they may not be able to fully understand the medical and emotional risks of becoming a donor, and they have a right to be born without this burden.  Supporters of the ban also are concerned that parents, when faced with the possible or likely death of a child, may have difficulty evaluating what is best for each child.

However, some patient groups want the use of PGD to be unregulated.  They argue that it is unethical to restrict a technology that can lead to healthier children and save the lives of children who are suffering.

Discussion Questions: (10 points each)

1. Do you think it is ethical to test the embryos to find a match for a sick sibling? Why or why not?

2. How would you vote if you were in Congress: allow this use of PGD to continue or ban it? Why?

3. Currently, there are no federal lows in the United States governing how this technology should be used. Do you think there should be?  Are there other options besides banning PGD or leaving PGD unregulated?  What might be a compromise solution?

4. If we were to make PGD only available to couples who carry defective genes that lead to disease, where do we draw the line? How severe does the disease have to be?  Deadly?  Or just cause suffering?  How do we define suffering?  Someone with severe anxiety would say they suffer, would a gene associated with an anxiety disorder make the cut? What about personality traits and mild social disorders, like Asperger’s’ (many argue that isn’t even a disorder)?  Is allowing any PGD, even for the clear-cut lethal traits like Huntington’s (where if you inherit the gene, you WILL get the disease and you WILL die from it) a slippery slope?  Explain your answer.

Scenario C: A family decides whether to have a baby with what is traditionally thought of as a genetic disorder or disability

You and your partner are both deaf and proud members of the Deaf culture, with its own language and values.  You have one child who is deaf.  You hope your second baby will also be deaf, so he or she will more readily be a part of your culture and community.  You don’t feel like deafness is a disability.

You and your partner are hoping to have a baby using in vitro fertilization (IVF).  You know some deaf people who have used IVF and PGD to determine which embryos have a genetic makeup associated with deafness and which have a genetic makeup associated with hearing.  You have the potential to choose which embryos to transfer to the uterus.

If you have a child who can hear, they might be alienated from your family, though the child would be less isolated in the larger world.  If you have a deaf child, they may more easily integrate into your family’s culture, have your support in how to navigate the world as a deaf person and be part of a close-knit deaf community.  However, deaf people often have a difficult time in school and in finding a job, and can face social isolation.

Note: First, the details of this scenario are not as important as the issues raised, which extend beyond this example and shed light on different perspectives on disability.  Second, when choosing the embryos to transfer to a woman’s uterus, the choice is not between making a child deaf or permitting it to hear; nobody is changing or manipulating the embryo.  The choice is between an embryo that, from a genetic standpoint, is already likely to develop into a child who is deaf or an embryo that is already likely to develop into a child who can hear.  (Really it is about actively choosing to implant the “defective” embryo over the “healthy” one, the flip-side of what PGD is normally used for, although the definitions of what is defective and healthy are up for debate here).

Discussion Questions: (10 points each)

1. If you were the parent, would you choose the embryo(s) that would develop into a child who would likely be deaf? Why?  What factors would you consider as you make your decision?

2. There are debates about whether PGD should be used to select for traits traditionally considered a disability. Who do you think should decide how PGD is used: parents, doctors, lawmakers, religious leaders, or others? Explain your answer.

Discussion Questions Grading Rubric

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