German court allows genetic diagnosis of IVF embryos
Landmark ruling
Embryos produced using IVF can be screened
for genetic defects before implantation into the womb, a German high court
ruled on Tuesday. Leipzig’s Federal Supreme Court ruled in favour of a Berlin
gynaecologist who carried out pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) for
three couples and implanted only the healthy embryos. The other embryos, which
possessed hereditary defects, were left to die off.
The doctor, 47, unidentified by the court,
brought the case to court himself in 2006 to clarify the legal situation. He
was acquitted by a Berlin regional court, but the city’s state prosecutor
appealed.
Judge Clemens Basdorf told German news
agency DAPD that IVF embryo screening should be legal “if there is a
danger of grave genetic defects for the desired children of the patients.”
~ AP, Jul 7
Jared Yee
Germany
PGD
- How long can you put off seeing the doctor because of lockdowns? - December 3, 2021
- House of Lords debates assisted suicide—again - October 28, 2021
- Spanish government tries to restrict conscientious objection - October 28, 2021
More Stories
Could newborns solve the kidney shortage crisis?
Kidneys from newborn babies could be a “game-changing” solution to organ shortage crisis, according to an American study. According to...
Chinese sperm bank pushes the boundaries in its marketing
With a birth rate of 1.09 and a declining population, there is a sense of urgency in China about reversing...
Chinese scientists grow humanized kidneys in pigs
Chinese scientists have successfully created chimeric embryos containing a combination of human and pig cells. When transferred into surrogate pig...
People born from donor gametes in UK will be able to doorknock their dad
As of October 1, 18-year-olds in the United Kingdom conceived with donor gametes will be able to find out who...
British teen dies after doctors refuse her request for experimental treatment
ST, the 19-year-old woman at the centre of a dispute about mental competence and healthcare in Britain, has died of...
Dodging a bullet: how a report recommending ‘chestfeeding’ and inclusive pronouns almost became the norm in British maternity wards
A transgender maternity report commissioned by public health authorities in the UK last year made headlines by recommending the use...