Academic

Germany Allows Embryo Screening For Genetic Defects

By Kim Krawiec

Last week, the Federal Supreme Court in Leipzig ruled in support of a Berlin gynecologist who had screened embryos created during IVF for genetic defects prior to implanting them. This is an important case in Germany, which has quite restrictive laws on fertility treatments and bans embryo research (gated survey of IVF guidelines and regulations of sovereign nations or political subdivisions thereof).  I previously blogged about Germany?s strict embryo protection laws, which have caused some researchers to move to other jurisdictions.

According to the Washington Post:

The doctor had treated three couples between 2005 and 2006 who could not get pregnant naturally. In all three cases, one of the partners carried the risk of a congenital genetic illness that would have "very likely led to a miscarriage, the death of the newborn right after the delivery or the birth of a critically ill child," the court wrote.

I previously blogged about PGD, embryo screening for sex selection, and the surrounding ethical debates here.

Full post as published by The Faculty Lounge on July 12, 2010 (boomark / email).