Inherited disorders & Embryo screening

• Polydactaly - causes baby to have extra finger or toe.
• Polydactaly is caused by a dominant allele.
• Cystic fibrosis - is a disorder of cell membranes which causes a thick mucus in airways and pancreas.
• Cystic fibrosis is caused by a recessive allele.
• Advantages of embryo screening:

  • Help reduce overall suffering.
  • Reduce costs of treatment as treating genetic conditions is expensive.
  • Parents could plan and learn information on how to deal with condition.
• Disadvantages of embryo screening:

  • Implies that people with genetic disorders are undesirable.
  • Is expensive.
  • Could mean people want to pick characteristics (creating designer babies).