Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis is an incredibly complex procedure that many liken to "playing god". I won't go into a lot of detail, if you want the full description you can find out more by clicking
here. A simple explanation is that scientists are now able through IVF (In-Vitro Fertilisation) to remove eggs from a woman and mix them with sperm in a laboratory, which will fertilise the eggs and begin the growth of a child. At a very early stage, the scientists are able to remove DNA from each embryo and test it. At present it is only legal in New Zealand to
test for genetic disorders such as sickle cell anaemia and chromosome disorders such as Down's Syndrome. However, it is also possible to find out the gender and even hair and eye colour of the baby. After testing, an embryo that is not affected is transferred into the mother's womb. Any other good embryos are frozen in case the pregnancy fails, and unwanted embryos are disposed of.
Unfortunately, due to the complexity of the procedure and the amount of human error that can occur, PGD has no more than a
20% success rate. There is also very little research on the possible effects PGD can have on the child it creates later in life, as it is relatively new technology. There are many
potential health risks for the mother too: side effects from the hormones she has to take, a high risk of ectopic pregnancy, higher chance of pregnancy complications, and of course the psychological effects that this trauma to the body, and potentially a miscarriage can cause. Women who want to become mothers through PGD must therefore think very carefully about the risks involved considering that the likelihood that they will be able to fall pregnant is
statistically low. In my opinion, this is a woman's own prerogative and not that of the government.
