Event Review: Selective Reproduction, Bioethics, and the Idea of Eugenics

A seminar entitled 'Selective Reproduction, Bioethics, and the Idea of Eugenics' held at the Wellcome Collection Conference Centre on 6 June attempted to untangle what is meant by the contemporary 'idea of eugenics' in relation to bioethics and, specifically, selective reproduction. Stephen Wilkinson, professor of Bioethics at Keele University and author of 'Choosing Tomorrow's Children: The ethics of selective reproduction', asked the question: 'Is the fact that an action or policy is a case...[Read More]

Choice, autonomy and eugenics: Thoughts on the HGC's report on preconception genetic testing and screening

As highlighted in BioNews, in early April 2011 the UK's Human Genetics Commission (HGC) published a report supporting preconception genetic testing and screening (1). Preconception screening, which can be broadly described as identifying carriers of genetic mutations to inform reproductive decision-making for the person tested or his/her relatives, is well established in some jurisdictions but relatively unknown in the UK...[Read More]

Study questions screening for Fragile X Syndrome

Genetic counselling for women and parents undergoing Fragile X syndrome (FXS) screening needs improvement, according to a recent review. The review also called for more studies into the benefits of population-wide screening for FXS...[Read More]

Dialogue around cousin marriage is a positive step, but it must be based on fact not fiction

A report and analysis promoting Baroness Ruth Deech's views on cousin marriage, published in the Times newspaper on Saturday, makes some serious errors and does nothing to either clarify the true health impact of cousin marriage or help couples at risk of recessive genetic conditions...[Read More]

From autism to Asperger's syndrome

The Progress Educational Trust (PET) debate 'From Autism to Asperger's: Disentangling the Genetics and Sociology of the Autistic Spectrum' took place in the UK Houses of Parliament on the evening of 20 October 2009, two days before the Autism Bill received its third and final reading in the House of Lords....[Read More]

Studying autism genetics responsibly

Autism and Asperger Syndrome are two subgroups on the autistic spectrum. They both share difficulties in social relationships and in communication, alongside the presence of unusually narrow interests and a strong preference for predictability. They are neurological and, as we now realise, strongly (though not 100 per cent) genetic. These two subgroups are differentiated by the presence of language delay and/or learning difficulties in autism, and by the absence of these in Asperger Sy

Genetic testing of children prior to adoption

Recently, a new angle to the many and varied debates over predictive genetic testing has emerged. A number of clinical geneticists in the UK have been requested to undertake genetic tests on children who are up for adoption. When advised that these tests were not in the interests of the children concerned, several local authorities obtained court orders enforcing the tests....[Read More]

Reproducing regulation: issues arising from the Human Tissue and Embryos (Draft) Bill

A Parliamentary committee has recently challenged several proposals in the UK Government's draft revised legislation for assisted reproduction and embryo research, published earlier this year. These areas of biomedical research and personal reproductive decisions raise important ethical and social issues. As such, the committee report is welcome, because it re-opens...[Read More]

Progress in non-invasive pregnancy tests

Non-invasive prenatal tests to identify fetuses at risk of genetic disorders as early as the sixth week of pregnancy are now a reality, say British scientists. A team based at the Institute of Child Health in London and Bristol has successfully carried out simple blood tests...[Read More]

International variation in ART practice and data collection

A recent Serono Symposium International Foundation conference in Athens has revealed considerable international differences in both the provision and practice of assisted reproduction and also considered the need for improved data collection. Arne Sunde, one of the founders of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) and Chairman...[Read More]

Licensing PGD: a step in the right direction

The lengthy process of applying for a licence to carry out preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) in the UK is set to get slightly easier - at least for some diseases. PGD was first used in 1989, to select a female embryo that would be free from the severe inherited, sex-linked disorder...[Read More]

Genetic screening: Is it ethical?

The following commentary was triggered by a debate entitled 'Testing Times', on the ethics of genetic screening. It was organised by Progress Educational Trust, and took place in London, on 28 September 2004. Since the 1990s, prenatal screening and diagnosis have been available for a range of genetic disorders, including...[Read More]

New non-invasive prenatal test shows promise

A new technique could provide an alternative to invasive pregnancy tests, researchers based in the US and Asia have shown. Using small amounts of fetal DNA present in the mother's blood, they have managed to carry out prenatal tests for the inherited blood disorder thalassaemia. The study appeared in the...[Read More]

Gene chips for testing embryos

BioNews reporting from ESHRE conference, Berlin: Couples at risk of having a child affected by a genetic disease could benefit from new, faster tests to detect gene mutations in IVF embryos, Australian scientists say. The research shows that 'gene chips' can be used to carry out preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD...[Read More]

Hope for non-invasive pregnancy test

US researchers have developed a new method for testing fetal DNA, which does not involve the use of invasive techniques such as amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS). The scientists, based at the biotech company Ravgen, have found a way to increase the amount of fetal DNA that can be...[Read More]

Good parents? Choosing a donor child

What does it mean to be a good parent, in a situation like the Hashmis'? This may seem an odd question to ask about an exemplary mother and father: after all, are not the Hashmis doing everything they can to save their child? Zain does not, it is true, need...[Read More]