New report presents options for oversight of genetic testing of hum...( PGD raises a number of scientific ...),Health

PGD raises a number of scientific, ethical and policy issues. First, there are questions about the safety of the in vitro fertilization and embryo manipulation required for PGD and about the accuracy of the genetic tests that are used. Second, some find PGD, or its uses, morally unacceptable because it involves the creation, selection and destruction of human embryos. Third, there are questions of equity: many cannot afford PGD and it is not clear whether and to what extent health insurers will cover it. Finally, there are broad ethical questions about the impact of PGD on family relationships, people living with disabilities, and society as a whole.

The Center's report, "Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis: A Discussion of Challenges, Concerns, and Preliminary Policy Options Related to the Genetic Testing of Human Embryos", details the concerns in each of these areas and presents an array of possible policy options. These options include leaving decisions about PGD to individuals and their health care providers, government restrictions on PGD's use and availability, voluntary regulation by professional groups, and an outright ban on PGD.

PGD sits at the intersection of two technologies with a confusing regulatory status: assisted reproduction and genetic testing. In the United States, oversight of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) has been left primarily in the hands of the individual physicians and there is no uniform and comprehensive system to assure the accuracy and reliability of new genetic tests before they are offered in the clinic. Although there have been calls for heightened oversight of PGD, this report is the first to outline the full range of policy alternatives and consider the potential effects, good and bad, of distinctly different choices.

The report is designed to catalyze informed public discussion about PGD, its implications and what, if any, policy process should be put in place to guide the development and
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Contact: Rhoda Washington
rwashi10@jhu.edu
202-663-5979
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
8-Jan-2004