Inherited disorders

• what is an inherited disorder?

  disorder caused by the inheritance of certain alleles
• how are embryos screened for inherited disorders?

  • During IVF, one cell is removed and tested for disorder-causing alleles
  • if the cell doesn’t have any indicator alleles, then the originating embryo is implanted into the uterus
• what are the ethical issues concerning embryo screening?

  • could lead to beliefs in society that being disabled or having a disorder is less human or associated with inferiority
  • destruction of embryos with inherited disorders is seen by some as murder as these would go on to become humans
  • could be viewed as part of concept of designer babies as it may be for the parents convenience or wishes rather than child’s wellbeing
• what are the economic issues concerning embryo screening?

  costs of hospital treatment and medication will need to be considered if it is known that a child will have an inherited disorder and financial support explored if necessary
• social issues concerning embryo screening

  • social care for children with IH may need to be considered if parents are unable to provide care
  • if an embryo is found to have an IH and is terminated, this can prevent a child and its parents from potential suffering in the future due to the disorder
• what is gene therapy?

  insertion of a normal allele into the cells of a person with an IH to functionally replace the faulty allele
• ethical concerns surrounding gene therapy

  • going against and playing God
  • introduced genes could enter sex cells and so be passed to future generations