A life for a life?

Should we or
, , g shouldn't we?
and Lucy aged 6. They are a very happy and
close family and are now planning to have
another child.
However, the family face a very difficult
decision because Ben has a serious
illness. He has a disease which means that
he has to have painful injections each
day, just to keep him alive.

Scientists and doctors have now found a cure for Ben. Using
the latest DNA technology, he could be given a transplant of
cells from someone matching his 'tissue type'. This would
mean that he could be free to live a normal, healthy life.
Dilemma

The Robertsons want to create a baby to save Ben's

life. Should they be allowed to?

You will debate this The Science

question and come to
a decision. Our experts In order to save Ben, scientists need to take
will help you consider cells from the umbilical cord of a newborn
all the issues involved: baby who has the same 'tissue type' as Ben.
Science To improve the odds of the new baby being a
... the techniques used match, Sarah has to have IVF treatment to
and how they work produce a number of embryos. These embryos
would then be screened using a technique
Ethics called 'preimplantation genetic diagnosis'.
... thinking about
rights and wrongs, A matching embryo would then be
benefits and costs reimplanted to produce a baby.

Law
... what are the laws in
this area

Gene talk copyright Science UPD8 ase.org.uk

 Expert briefing notes
The technique referred to is preimplantation
genetic diagnosis (PGD). This is used in
Effectiveness
Science briefing

combination with in vitro fertilisation (IVF) to
screen for several different genetic conditions.
The main use is to screen for diseases
including Huntingdon's disease, cystic fibrosis
and more recently Down's syndrome.
The first stage of PGD involves creating
embryos by IVF. A cell is then removed from
each of the early stage embryos to identify
which ones carry the disease. Only 'good'
embryos are placed in the mother's body to
develop.
Ethics briefing
There is a 98% chance that an embryo selected
in this way will be a tissue match. In this
particular case there is only a 1 in 4 chance that
the couple would have a baby that matches if
doctors and nurses did not use the new
technique.
Uncertainty/Risks
After the baby is born, is there a chance
that the baby will not be a match?
Is the IVF procedure completely safe?

Is it like treating the offspring as a commodity? Should more effort and

investment be put into finding
Is it fair to subject a child to a lifetime of donating alternatives or compatible tissue
the cells to a sibling? Would this actually be the case? donors?
How would the parents regard the new child if the Who benefits most?
technique failed?

In the UK, all work with embryos is controlled by the

Human Fertilisation and Embryo Authority (HFEA). In vitro
fertilisation (IVF) usually produces more than one embryo.
The HFEA has allowed clinics to test all the embryos and
discard any that carried a genetic disease. Up until now,
the health of the unborn child has been the only thing
Law briefing

clinics have been allowed to consider when they selected

embryos. It has been illegal to pick out embryos that could
donate tissue to a sick sibling. The HFEA now has to
decide whether or not it
Families have been able to get round the law by going
abroad for treatment. The parents of a 5-year old boy will relax the rules on
called Charlie did this. They felt that it was their only hope. embryo selection so that
Charlie suffers from a blood disease that makes him pale, couples can use the
weak and lethargic. His parents selected a tissue-matched technique in this country.
embryo and their new baby, Jamie, was born six months
ago. Blood from Jamie's umbilical cord was used to
provide stem cells for Charlie's treatment. It's too soon to
tell whether or not Charlie will be cured.

Gene talk Copyright Science UPD8 ase.org.uk

 Questions

What is the new technique that the doctor has told them about? 1

Will the new baby come to any harm? 2

Can the Robertsons be absolutely sure that if they select an

embryo it will provide a match for Ben? 3

Isn't this like creating a baby for 'spare parts', is that ethical? 4
If this procedure is allowed to go ahead, doesn't that mean that other parents
might start wanting to choose the sex of their baby, or their hair colour etc? 5

What is the new technique that the doctor has told them about? 1

Will the new baby come to any harm? 2

Can the Robertsons be absolutely sure that if they select an

embryo it will provide a match for Ben? 3

Isn't this like creating a baby for 'spare parts', is that ethical? 4
If this procedure is allowed to go ahead, doesn't that mean that other parents
might start wanting to choose the sex of their baby, or their hair colour etc? 5

Gene talk copyright Science UPD8 ase.org.uk

 Voting slips
dilemma reason

The Robertsons
want to create a baby
to save Ben's life.
don't
Should they be yes no know
allowed to?

dilemma reason

The Robertsons
want to create a baby
to save Ben's life.
don't
Should they be yes no know
allowed to?

dilemma reason

The Robertsons
want to create a baby
to save Ben's life.
don't
Should they be yes no know
allowed to?

dilemma reason

The Robertsons
want to create a baby
to save Ben's life.
don't
Should they be yes no know
allowed to?

dilemma reason

The Robertsons
want to create a baby
to save Ben's life.
don't
Should they be yes no know
allowed to?

Gene talk copyright Science UPD8 ase.org.uk