Designer Deafness!

A few years ago, a lesbian couple in the US sparked controversy when they chose a deaf sperm donor to ensure their children, like them, would be deaf.

Now it appears that some would-be parents are resorting to pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to achieve the same thing, by selecting and implanting embryos that will develop into deaf children.

This comes from a survey by the Genetics and Public Policy Center in Washington DC on how PGD is being used in the US.

Deep inside the report is this paragraph: “Some prospective parents have sought PGD to select an embryo for the presence of a particular disease or disability, such as deafness, in order that the child would share that characteristic with the parents.

Three per cent of IVF-PGD clinics report having provided PGD to couples who seek to use PGD in this manner.”

What? This can not be right! Who would VOLUNTARILY allow or want their child to suffer any sort of disabilty or illness?

This is terrible. How can this possibly be legal, or even ethical?