Deafness may be struck from embryo bill

Medicine & Health / Health

Deafness may soon not fall into the category of serious medical conditions when it comes to embryo-screening procedures in Britain.

The Sunday Telegraph said after a surge of campaigning by deaf activists, Britain's Department of Health is removing all references in a proposed human fertilization and embryology bill to deafness as serious medical condition.

The department's move could mean the House of Commons may adapt the new stance when amending the bill, which could mean deaf parents could chose to have a deaf child through an embryo screening.

Professor Peter Braude of Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital has expressed concern that such practices bring about certain ethical considerations.

"I have serious concerns about deliberately selecting an embryo for deafness. This is the same as taking a normal child and deliberately making it deaf so that it can fit in with a community," the pre-implantation genetic diagnosis official told the Telegraph.

"I don't see how that can be acceptable."

Copyright 2008 by United Press International

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Posted by nilbud 04/14/08 08:49

Rank: 4/5 after 1 vote

Political correctness gone doolally.

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Posted by GoelandJaune 04/14/08 09:30

Rank: 3/5 after 1 vote

Professor Peter Braude echoes here a very particular ethical view.
I just hope that he and his fellows will not try to make us believe that it is more scientific than any other ethical system (or let's put it in another way : that the other views are less scientific).
His statement is just based on a particular (personal?) flavor of utilitariarism. Utilitariarism which as an ethical system has so far failed to provide compeling answers to most of the moral dilemna of our time...

I would personally just keep the following statement :"I have serious concerns about deliberately selecting an embryo." or just shut up.
If one allows screening, then why should society interfer with the holy principle of Autonomy? Even true utilitariarism have nothing against this!(if people are happy with that -including selecting deaf embryo, and giving birth to them-, then what's wrong?)