UK clinic to screen for Alzheimer’s
A couple who fear that they will pass on a gene for early-onset Alzheimer’s disease have been given permission to screen their embryos to keep any with it from being born. The Bridge Centre, an IVF clinic with a history of pushing the envelope on ethical issues, will screen embryos for Charl and Danielle de Beer. Mr de Beer’s mother, grandmother and two uncles died prematurely from the condition.
The scientific director of Bridge, Dr Alan Thornhill, says that because early-onset Alzheimer’s strikes in the late 30s and early 40s, it can mean that the person “has only half a life worth living”. However, he noted that people had to be very serious about the screening, as it is a very difficult process emotionally and physically. Screening for early-onset Alzheimer’s is news only in the UK. Dr Yuri Verlinsky, of the Reproductive Genetics Institute of Chicago, did this as long ago as 2001.
- 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
Last Australian state finally launches ‘assisted dying’
As of November 28, eligible people in New South Wales can request “voluntary assisted dying”. NSW was the last Australian...
Two opposing conferences on population this weekend: one proudly pro-natalist, one dismally pro-extinction
Declining rates of fertility around the globe are slowly creeping into headlines and the conference circuit. This weekend, there will...
Do women suffer from depression after their abortions?
“It’s important for folks to know that abortion does not cause mental health problems,” Debra Mollen, of Texas Woman’s University,...
A sperm donor’s can of worms
Assuming that letters to Slate’s agony aunt are 100% the real deal is a bit dangerous. A failed novelist in...
Al-Jazeera investigates euthanasia in Canada
Most people are completely ignorant of how radical Canada's right-to-die legislation has become. This documentary from Al-Jazeera exposes the incredible...
Do gender-questioning kids need psychotherapy rather than hormones?
If you consult the “Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy” page of the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, you will discover that...