In Britain, a baby girl was born whose genetic load was scanned, even before she was placed in her mother's womb; Her brother has blood cancer, and the girl born will be able to donate bone marrow to him; The parents: She will be loved in her own right
A spare part or a beloved child?
From: Guardian, Haaretz
Fear that technology will lead to the birth of "designer babies"
On Thursday at eight o'clock in the evening, a baby girl was born in Britain, a happy and exciting event in every family, but in this case the newly born girl has an additional role - she will be able to save her brother from cancer. This is the second time in history that technology has been used that enables the birth of a baby with certain genetic characteristics, which were planned ahead of time.
The family refused to be named, but wants the publication to help other families in a similar situation. The baby's older brother, 5 years old, is now recovering from blood cancer (leukemia) after undergoing chemotherapy. If his condition deteriorates further in the coming years, he will urgently need a bone marrow transplant. There is no certainty that a suitable donor will be found on time. The baby that was born now contains cells that are suitable for transplantation in her brother, and you can save him when necessary.
The baby's parents underwent artificial insemination. However, unlike normal artificial insemination, the fertilized eggs underwent a genetic scan before being implanted in the mother's womb. Only an egg whose genetic content ensures that the newborn will be able to donate bone marrow to the patient's brother were implanted in the mother's womb. According to Mohamed Terenisi, a fertility expert who was involved in the insemination, there are now three pregnant women in the world who gave birth to babies using a similar technique.
The genetic scan in this case has a clear medical justification. However, the special circumstances do not reduce the public concern about what has already been called "designer babies". The fear is from the future use of this technology to ensure the birth of beautiful, smart, and other desirable babies.
Admittedly, the genetic knowledge available today does not allow isolating genes responsible for complex traits such as wisdom, but the fear of research progress exists.
The family and the doctor strongly reject the comparison, and claim that the baby will be loved "for its own sake", like many normal babies. "It's about disease prevention and healing: that's the whole point," says Terenisi.
