SUPERIOR

‘The abiliTy To screen an embryo allows parenTs To choose The healThier cells before The child is born.’

2

The Practices & The Benefits

Reasons for its use:—Carrier screening, which involves identifying unaffected individuals who carry one copy of a gene for a disease that requires two copies for the disease to be expressed— Pre implantation genetic diagnosis — Prenatal diagnostic testing newborn screening— Pre symptomatic testing for predicting adult-onset disorders such as Huntington’s disease— Pre symptomatic testing for estimating the risk of developing adult-onset cancers and Alzheimer’s —Confirmed diagnosis of a symptomatic individual forensic/identity testing

Genetic engineering human lives, can potentially allow us to build superior humans, with added genes and removal of bad genes. Intelligence, appearance and medical histories will be predicted long before fertilization. Gene testing has already dramatically improved lives. Some tests are used to clarify a diagnosis and direct a physician toward appropriate treatments, while others allow families to avoid having children with devastating diseases or identify people at high risk for conditions that may be preventable.

Pre-Genetic Implantation Diagnosis (PGD) is a form of IVF (in vitro fertilization) but with an additional test to search for faulty genes in the created embryos. Once the embryos have grown to the 8-cell stage, one or two cells are removed and tested for the faulty gene. Embryos free of any mutations are implanted into the womb in the hope that one will grow into a healthy fetus, whilst faulty embryos are discarded.

The ability to screen several embryos for disease and gender is already available at a small fee of $15,000 (US). Further genetic technology is predicted to be in practice within 20-25 years. The costs of screenings are falling and the availability is rising, making it more accessible to lower income families.

The number of fertility treatments that include embryo screening has been on the rise in recent years, with nearly 5,200 screenings in 2006, according to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. Carrier testing also is rising. A California company, Counsel, sells a $349 saliva test for genes for more than 100 inherited disorders. Several thousand people used it over the last year.

Genetic screening is the newest and most sophisticated of the techniques used to test for genetic disorders, involving the direct examination of the DNA molecule itself. The ability to screen an embryo allows parents to choose the healthier cells before the child is born. Genetic screens can also determine future developments of illnesses and disease within the DNA.

G e n e T i c s c r e e n i n G

Superior Human Development 3

‘The abiliTy To screen an embryo allows parenTs To choose The healThier cells before The child is born.’

2

The Practices & The Benefits

Reasons for its use:—Carrier screening, which involves identifying unaffected individuals who carry one copy of a gene for a disease that requires two copies for the disease to be expressed— Pre implantation genetic diagnosis — Prenatal diagnostic testing newborn screening— Pre symptomatic testing for predicting adult-onset disorders such as Huntington’s disease— Pre symptomatic testing for estimating the risk of developing adult-onset cancers and Alzheimer’s —Confirmed diagnosis of a symptomatic individual forensic/identity testing

Genetic engineering human lives, can potentially allow us to build superior humans, with added genes and removal of bad genes. Intelligence, appearance and medical histories will be predicted long before fertilization. Gene testing has already dramatically improved lives. Some tests are used to clarify a diagnosis and direct a physician toward appropriate treatments, while others allow families to avoid having children with devastating diseases or identify people at high risk for conditions that may be preventable.

Pre-Genetic Implantation Diagnosis (PGD) is a form of IVF (in vitro fertilization) but with an additional test to search for faulty genes in the created embryos. Once the embryos have grown to the 8-cell stage, one or two cells are removed and tested for the faulty gene. Embryos free of any mutations are implanted into the womb in the hope that one will grow into a healthy fetus, whilst faulty embryos are discarded.

The ability to screen several embryos for disease and gender is already available at a small fee of $15,000 (US). Further genetic technology is predicted to be in practice within 20-25 years. The costs of screenings are falling and the availability is rising, making it more accessible to lower income families.

The number of fertility treatments that include embryo screening has been on the rise in recent years, with nearly 5,200 screenings in 2006, according to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. Carrier testing also is rising. A California company, Counsel, sells a $349 saliva test for genes for more than 100 inherited disorders. Several thousand people used it over the last year.

Genetic screening is the newest and most sophisticated of the techniques used to test for genetic disorders, involving the direct examination of the DNA molecule itself. The ability to screen an embryo allows parents to choose the healthier cells before the child is born. Genetic screens can also determine future developments of illnesses and disease within the DNA.

G e n e T i c s c r e e n i n G

Superior Human Development 3

‘GeneTic TechnoloGy will soon provide parenTs wiTh The abiliTy To choose specific Genes for Their children.’

‘The dawn of a new aGe is Upon Us. The abiliTy To have choice in The healTh for oUr children is jUsT The beGinninG Towards bUildinG a sUperior hUman beinGs.’

6

The Future Possibilities

h e a l T h i e r h U m a n l i f e

Genetic tests can prevent hereditary

diseases, reduce cancer percentages,

disabilities and deformities.

On the horizon is a gene test that will

provide doctors with a simple diagnostic

test for a common iron-storage disease,

transforming it from a usually fatal

condition to a treatable one. When prenatal

genetic testing reveals a disorder or

deformity,

parents often choose to abort. However,

parents can avoid such

a decision by using pre-implantation genetic

diagnosis (PGD). PGD allows couples that

are using artificial insemination to identify

genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis and

hemophilia A before implantation, rather

than several months into a pregnancy.

This is especially useful when one or

both parents know they carry a genetic

variation associated with a disorder. More

recently, parents have begun using PGD

to look for signs of late-onset diseases and

cancer susceptibility. For example, certain

mutations in the BRCA1 gene confer high

risk for breast cancer. PDG can

be used to select embryos that do not have

the worrisome mutations.

In January 2009, a British mother gave

birth to a healthy baby girl having used this

process to ensure her child did not inherit

her breast cancer causing BRCA1 gene. The

birth was the first of its kind and has been

slammed by many disability and pro-life

organisations as unethical. If people can

afford to and if the technology is there then

if someone wants to change the baby and

make the baby less prone to the disease then

that is a positive.

Births of babies with cystic fibrosis

dropped, from 29 in 2000 to only 10 in

2003, ticking up to 15 in 2006, said Dr.

Richard Parad, a Brigham and Women’s

Hospital physician who helped set up the

screening program.

In California, Kaiser Permanente, a large

health maintenance organization, offered

prenatal screening. From 2006 through

2008, 87 couples with cystic fibrosis

mutations agreed to have fetuses tested,

and 23 were found to have the disease.

Sixteen of the 17 fetuses projected to have

the severest type of disease were aborted,

as were four of the six fetuses projected to

have less severe disease.

Superior Human Development 7

‘when prenaTal GeneTic TesTinG reveals a disorder of deformiTy parenTs ofTen choose To aborT.’

‘The dawn of a new aGe is Upon Us. The abiliTy To have choice in The healTh for oUr children is jUsT The beGinninG Towards bUildinG a sUperior hUman beinGs.’

6

The Future Possibilities

h e a l T h i e r h U m a n l i f e

Genetic tests can prevent hereditary

diseases, reduce cancer percentages,

disabilities and deformities.

On the horizon is a gene test that will

provide doctors with a simple diagnostic

test for a common iron-storage disease,

transforming it from a usually fatal

condition to a treatable one. When prenatal

genetic testing reveals a disorder or

deformity,

parents often choose to abort. However,

parents can avoid such

a decision by using pre-implantation genetic

diagnosis (PGD). PGD allows couples that

are using artificial insemination to identify

genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis and

hemophilia A before implantation, rather

than several months into a pregnancy.

This is especially useful when one or

both parents know they carry a genetic

variation associated with a disorder. More

recently, parents have begun using PGD

to look for signs of late-onset diseases and

cancer susceptibility. For example, certain

mutations in the BRCA1 gene confer high

risk for breast cancer. PDG can

be used to select embryos that do not have

the worrisome mutations.

In January 2009, a British mother gave

birth to a healthy baby girl having used this

process to ensure her child did not inherit

her breast cancer causing BRCA1 gene. The

birth was the first of its kind and has been

slammed by many disability and pro-life

organisations as unethical. If people can

afford to and if the technology is there then

if someone wants to change the baby and

make the baby less prone to the disease then

that is a positive.

Births of babies with cystic fibrosis

dropped, from 29 in 2000 to only 10 in

2003, ticking up to 15 in 2006, said Dr.

Richard Parad, a Brigham and Women’s

Hospital physician who helped set up the

screening program.

In California, Kaiser Permanente, a large

health maintenance organization, offered

prenatal screening. From 2006 through

2008, 87 couples with cystic fibrosis

mutations agreed to have fetuses tested,

and 23 were found to have the disease.

Sixteen of the 17 fetuses projected to have

the severest type of disease were aborted,

as were four of the six fetuses projected to

have less severe disease.

Superior Human Development 7

‘when prenaTal GeneTic TesTinG reveals a disorder of deformiTy parenTs ofTen choose To aborT.’

‘we shoUld preserve The aUTonomy of paTienTs To make These very personal decisions.’

8

Your Choice.

s e X s e l e c T i o n

Genetic screening can predict the sex of

an unborn child. This gives parents a new

ability to choose their children. This is

particularly helpful for parents in societies

with gender preferences like China and

India. The technology could develop

further, allowing parents to have more

choice to which genes they want for their

child.

impromptu births of females. Reducing the

crime and death rates of woman in Asian

countries. “Less births, better births, to

develop China vigorously”

Perhaps girls still need a dowry, and

poor parents may find it difficult to save

enough and hence prefer a boy. Or perhaps

they prefer a boy because the law of their

country or tribe – inspired by age-old

prejudice – says that only boys can inherit

land or the family business. Again, the

parents may prefer a boy for this reason,

not because they dislike girls. Or perhaps

tradition holds that girls marry off into their

husbands families, and parents simply want

to be sure to have someone in their home to

care for them when they are old (“raising a

daughter is like watering your neighbour’s

garden”, is a Hindu saying).

It could be argued that the decrease

in women to men could in fact empower

women. The scarcity of wives will add more

value to the women of these countries.

“It’s the patient’s information, their

desire,” Dr. Richard Parad said. “Who are

we to decide, to play God? I’ve got news

for you; it’s not going to change the gender

balance in the world. We get a handful of

requests per year, and we’re doing it. It’s

always been a controversy, but I don’t think

it’s a big problem. We should preserve the

autonomy of patients to make these very

personal decisions.”

“We prefer to do it for family balancing,

but we’ve never turned away someone who

came in and said, ‘I want my first to be a

boy or a girl.’ If they all said a boy first,

we’d probably shy away, but it’s 50-50.”

The United Nations opposes sex

selection for non-medical reasons, and

a number of countries have outlawed it,

including Australia, Canada and Britain,

and other nations in Asia, South America

and Europe.

Left unanswered is the question of

whether societies, and families, that favor

boys should just be allowed to have them,

since attitudes are hard to change, and

girls born into such environments may

be abused. In this instance prenatal sex

selection is a positive thing.

The one child policy in China, many

families prefer male children for the

financial working benefits. Men’s income

is 20% higher than a woman’s, and they

are more likely to be given an inheritance.

Genetic screenings can help prevent the

‘we prefer To do iT for family balancinG, bUT we’ve never TUrned away someone who came in and said, ‘i wanT my firsT To be a boy or a Girl.’ if They all said a boy firsT, we’d probably shy away, bUT iT’s 50-50.’

‘raisinG a daUGhTer is like waTerinG yoUr neiGhboUr’s Garden.’

Superior Human Development 9

10 Superior Human Development 11

Genetic testing has potential benefits

whether the results are positive or negative

for a gene mutation. Test results can

provide a sense of relief from uncertainty

and help people make informed decisions

about managing their health care.

The benefits of genetic screening are that the results can be used for many purposes. In the case of prenatal testing a diagnosis can be made on a suspect fetus that will allow ample time for decision to be made about treatment. Unfortunate as it is, abortion is the right answer in severe cases. Results from genetic tests can also help predetermine the carrier status of couples planning parenthood. With the information from genetic tests a couple can decide if the risk of having a child with a certain genetic makeup outweigh the advantages. In some cases changing habits can help slow down a disease. With prior knowledge of their genetic status some may change their lifestyle and therefor increase their life span.

Further advances in genetic testing will eventually replace older methods of predicting prognosis, helping to treat only those patients who will

respond to therapy and by helping to guide further research into these therapies. Recent advances are also helping to increase our understanding of some complex cancers, such as multiple myeloma and lymphoma.

With specialized techniques, gene expression can be manipulated to correct the problem in the particular patient, although the correction will not be passed along to offspring of that patient. That is, corrections are made at the DNA molecule level to compensate for the abnormal gene so that the detrimental symptoms of the disease are not expressed in the patient. It is still highly experimental. Clinical trials are being conducted to see if this can be used to develop treatments for other diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and AIDS.

Without a doubt, there will be more and more advances in genetic research that will impact the laboratory tests available to all patients for detection and treatment of a variety of diseases.

‘GeneTic screeninG will prevenT parenTs from havinG children wiTh common GeneTic defecTs.’

10 Superior Human Development 11

Genetic testing has potential benefits

whether the results are positive or negative

for a gene mutation. Test results can

provide a sense of relief from uncertainty

and help people make informed decisions

about managing their health care.

The benefits of genetic screening are that the results can be used for many purposes. In the case of prenatal testing a diagnosis can be made on a suspect fetus that will allow ample time for decision to be made about treatment. Unfortunate as it is, abortion is the right answer in severe cases. Results from genetic tests can also help predetermine the carrier status of couples planning parenthood. With the information from genetic tests a couple can decide if the risk of having a child with a certain genetic makeup outweigh the advantages. In some cases changing habits can help slow down a disease. With prior knowledge of their genetic status some may change their lifestyle and therefor increase their life span.

Further advances in genetic testing will eventually replace older methods of predicting prognosis, helping to treat only those patients who will

respond to therapy and by helping to guide further research into these therapies. Recent advances are also helping to increase our understanding of some complex cancers, such as multiple myeloma and lymphoma.

With specialized techniques, gene expression can be manipulated to correct the problem in the particular patient, although the correction will not be passed along to offspring of that patient. That is, corrections are made at the DNA molecule level to compensate for the abnormal gene so that the detrimental symptoms of the disease are not expressed in the patient. It is still highly experimental. Clinical trials are being conducted to see if this can be used to develop treatments for other diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and AIDS.

Without a doubt, there will be more and more advances in genetic research that will impact the laboratory tests available to all patients for detection and treatment of a variety of diseases.

‘GeneTic screeninG will prevenT parenTs from havinG children wiTh common GeneTic defecTs.’

INFERIOR