# Some disabled parents use IVF to create disabled children



## Charlies-Mum (May 25, 2005)

> An upcoming article in the journal Fertility and Sterility shows that some disabled parents in the US are using pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to create children like themselves.
> 
> The two disabilities mentioned are deafness and dwarfism. A survey of 190 American IVF clinics recently found that 3% had deliberately used PGD at some stage "to select an embryo for the presence of a disability".


To read the article visit http://www.infertileworld.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=414

*What are your views on this topic?*


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## AmandaB1971 (Feb 19, 2006)

Tricky one!  Generally speaking I dont really approve of PGD at all.  The only exceptions to this are where it's used to prevent a child being born with a profound disability which will give them a reduced life expectancy, pain or ill-health throughout their lives.  I think this case possibly falls into the same category as sex selection.  I dont feel that people should be able to pick a baby for anything other than exceptional medical circumstances.

This is only my view and I really hope I haven't offended anyone.

Amandaxxxx


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## Charlies-Mum (May 25, 2005)

Interesting to read in today White Paper published by HFEA that they propose the following



> The law will include explicit criteria for the testing of
> embryos. Legitimate purposes will be (i) screening out
> genetic or chromosomal abnormalities leading to serious
> medical conditions, disabilities, or miscarriage (ii) tissue typing
> ...


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## Jennifer (Jul 22, 2004)

I am sorry - I don't agree with this at all.

PGD should only be used, as Amanda says, in exceptional medical circumstances to prevent suffering, not to cause it


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## Guest (Dec 18, 2006)

i totally agree with you ladies, these people should be grateful that they CAN have healthy 'normal' children, they shouldn't knowingly inflict something on their child that could cause distress to the poor kid.
(btw i haven't got anything against deaf people etc i just mean even if they have grown up happy with their situation it doesn't mean their child will)

hope i haven't offended anyone


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## tjmac (Sep 14, 2003)

I have a seriously disabled child and i can't imagine choosing a "disability" for a child, its a tough enough world as it is !!
tj x


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## professor waffle (Apr 23, 2005)

I have a deaf brother & can't imagine what would make him want to have a deaf child. He gets on well in the hearing world & seems to think if you are hearing that you have many other benefits too, his children are hearing & I don't think he would wish it any other way.

I agree with PGD for exceptional medical circumstances but to deliberately engineer a 'fault' in a child? How do ypu explain that one when the child is grown up?


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## Flopsy (Sep 18, 2003)

What an interesting one. I am disabled and I would never want to deliberately create a disabled child. I can understand why some parents would like a child similar to themselves but it doesn't appeal to me.

If I could screen out my disability I would do so.

Kindest regards,


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## TC2 (Oct 30, 2006)

This is interesting - I know there are large deaf communities who think that to hear is abnormal, perhaps thats why they are selecting, it must be the same with the dwarfism - i remember seeing a TV programme about 'little people' (not my definition i think it was what it was called) in USA and i think they have a strong community link too - i dont think theres any chance of **** allowing it here though... If it were possible though i would choose to screen out for Crohns disese(not yet possible) as my DH has it severly and it is really bad when it affects children.  I think we have an obligation to do what is the best we can for any child.

Teenax


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## alwayssunny (Dec 19, 2004)

I do not agree with this at all. Why would any parent want to delibetatly make a child with a disability??  I find this very disturbing.....


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## Pol (Mar 9, 2007)

I can understand that people with these 'disabilities' might want to redefine themselves and say they don't see themselves as 'dis-abled', and just because they are different for the majority doesn't mean there is a problem with that, any more than having blue eyes or being left-handed is a problem BUT I don't think they have the right to choose for their child.  I can also see that in the case of deafness, there may be a communication issue, and in the case of dwarfism there is the issue of 'wanting your child to look like yours', so I do understand where this sort of thing could come from.  However, surely people in minorities need to have the support and acceptance that means they don't want to hide away in communities and families made up only of people like them - utopia, I know, but we've got to keep the belief that it's possible. I personally don't think we should be screening either for OR against either dwarfism or deafness.  

And yes, I believe that in the USA the correct expression is 'little people' - obviously sounds really patronising to us, but it's just one of those things where the english language is used completely differently!!

However ... given how hard it is to get pregant through IVF, or for that matter to produce embies at all, I find it seriously difficult to believe that someone might have, say 4 viable embies, and choose to throw away 2 or 3 of them because they didn't like the characteristics they had ... 

Joanna X


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## skyred (Oct 5, 2005)

As someone who went through PGD, 
Im gobsnacked, how can you want to put your child through a disability.
Im a carrier and couldn't do it, I can't imagine actually being disabled and choosing to.
I do know that my brother, cousins and uncles wouldn't wish there disability on anyone.


Debs


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