Designer Babies
The Ethical Issues
Case Study 1: The Nash Family
Molly Nash was born in 1994 with Fanconi anaemia, a rare genetic condition in which the body cannot make healthy bone marrow. Sufferers rarely reach adulthood. Her parents went to a treatment centre where embryos were produced by IVF and then genetically tested to ensure the absence of Fanconi anaemia and immunologically tested to ensure a tissue match with Molly. The one embryo that met both criteria (of the 14 or so created by IVF) was transferred into Mrs Nash in an attempt to create a possible donor sibling for Molly. The Nashes had very long-drawn-out, but eventually successful treatment, resulting in the birth of baby Adam in 2000. Blood from his umbilical cord was collected at the time of his birth and stem cells from it have been successfully used as a bone marrow graft for Molly.
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CASE STUDY 2 - The Whittacker Family
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