Case Study 1: Matchright Computer Technology
Background Information:
Matchright Technology by the company GenePeeks was invented by Anne Morris, she was inspired to create this technology because of her personal experience. Her child had been born with a MCAD which is deficiency caused by mutations in a gene involving fat metabolism. MCAD symptoms consist of vomiting, lack of energy, low blood sugar and it can be fetal. She was constantly anxious that her child wouldn't wake up in the morning. Six years later she decided to look into her sons illness more, she discovered that her son had inherited the condition as a result of a coincidence. MCAD is extremely rare, but the sperm donor that she and her partner had chosen, had unknowingly, been the carrier of this rare condition. She wanted to invent a technology that would that would minimize the pain that her and her partner had to endure by having a baby with MCAD. Genepeeks claims to be firmly based in medical applications, but that's not reflected in the patent, which includes a long list of traits that parents have an option to chose from, so the technology has a component of genetic enhancement that is controversial.
The Gene Peaks website describes one of their success stories. A lesbian couple named Jamie and Carmen decided to have a baby using a sperm donor. They first applied to the Gene Peaks because they knew that Jamie was a carrier for a certain illness and they wanted to make sure they would not chose a carrier sperm donor with the same illness. Jamie ordered the DNA set and sent some a saliva samples into the Gene Peaks Laboratory. While they were waiting for their results, they browsed the gene peaks website and chose a couple of possible donors. They got their personalized catalogue of donors who would not be a carrier for Jamie’s disease. They saw that some of the donors they were looking at would have carried Jamie's disease so from of the catalogue, 21 out of 100 donors had been removed from their list of donor options. In a short amount of time they decided on a donor that didn't carry the same illness as Jamie. The couple were both very pleased and more calm about their pregnancy knowing they had a really good chance of having a healthy baby.
In conclusion, while this case study is a success story, what if Jamie and Carmen had explored the website more and decided to chose physical traits of their child? Would that be wrong? The site still allows you to chose physical traits like, height, hip circumference, BMI, and eye and skin pigmentation. Although choosing traits is an option, Genepeaks CEOs are worried that the program will become more about choosing superficial traits and less about preventing medical illnesses. Choosing traits on Matchright brings up some really controversial, questions that the philosophers will answer.
- Written by Audrey S.
The Gene Peaks website describes one of their success stories. A lesbian couple named Jamie and Carmen decided to have a baby using a sperm donor. They first applied to the Gene Peaks because they knew that Jamie was a carrier for a certain illness and they wanted to make sure they would not chose a carrier sperm donor with the same illness. Jamie ordered the DNA set and sent some a saliva samples into the Gene Peaks Laboratory. While they were waiting for their results, they browsed the gene peaks website and chose a couple of possible donors. They got their personalized catalogue of donors who would not be a carrier for Jamie’s disease. They saw that some of the donors they were looking at would have carried Jamie's disease so from of the catalogue, 21 out of 100 donors had been removed from their list of donor options. In a short amount of time they decided on a donor that didn't carry the same illness as Jamie. The couple were both very pleased and more calm about their pregnancy knowing they had a really good chance of having a healthy baby.
In conclusion, while this case study is a success story, what if Jamie and Carmen had explored the website more and decided to chose physical traits of their child? Would that be wrong? The site still allows you to chose physical traits like, height, hip circumference, BMI, and eye and skin pigmentation. Although choosing traits is an option, Genepeaks CEOs are worried that the program will become more about choosing superficial traits and less about preventing medical illnesses. Choosing traits on Matchright brings up some really controversial, questions that the philosophers will answer.
- Written by Audrey S.
Ethical Questions:
- Is it ethical to inhibit the natural lottery?
- To what extent should parents be able to pick and chose traits of their child?
- How can this technology be misused?
- How much parental discretion is wise and good in selecting the traits in the offspring?
Case Study 2: Invitro Fertilization (IVF) and PGD
Background Information:
Background:
A designer baby is a baby that has been genetically engineered in vitro for specific traits. The techniques they use to create a designer baby is IVF and PGD. They use IVF to fertilize the eggs with sperm in a laboratory. They use a PGD to screen embryos and then they put the healthy selected ones back into the mother's womb. They use these techniques to reduce the chances of genetic mutations and to pick genes.
Case Study:
The Collins case, was a very well known case in 1996. The case was over gender selection. The Collinses had two children that were both boys. The family wanted to get pregnant again but this time they wanted only a girl to complete their family. The Collins intended to conceive a girl to balance out their family. This was the first time of PGD being highly publicized in which the selection of embryos was not performed to address a medical condition, but to fulfill the Collin's desire to create more of a balanced family. The Collins case raised many questions and issues on trait selection.
Quote:"After having two boys, I thought they needed a sister, too. Probably more so for me. I wanted to have a daughter. It was just real important that I had a daughter," says Monique Collins.
Conclusion: The Collins were successful in having a girl using IVF and PGD selection. This case was not used for medical purposes, that could cause controversy.
- Written by Nick W.
Ethical Questions:
Background:
A designer baby is a baby that has been genetically engineered in vitro for specific traits. The techniques they use to create a designer baby is IVF and PGD. They use IVF to fertilize the eggs with sperm in a laboratory. They use a PGD to screen embryos and then they put the healthy selected ones back into the mother's womb. They use these techniques to reduce the chances of genetic mutations and to pick genes.
Case Study:
The Collins case, was a very well known case in 1996. The case was over gender selection. The Collinses had two children that were both boys. The family wanted to get pregnant again but this time they wanted only a girl to complete their family. The Collins intended to conceive a girl to balance out their family. This was the first time of PGD being highly publicized in which the selection of embryos was not performed to address a medical condition, but to fulfill the Collin's desire to create more of a balanced family. The Collins case raised many questions and issues on trait selection.
Quote:"After having two boys, I thought they needed a sister, too. Probably more so for me. I wanted to have a daughter. It was just real important that I had a daughter," says Monique Collins.
Conclusion: The Collins were successful in having a girl using IVF and PGD selection. This case was not used for medical purposes, that could cause controversy.
- Written by Nick W.
Ethical Questions:
- Is it worth the gamble ?
- Do the benefits outweigh the cost ?
- Is it worth the pain ?
Resources:
Resource 1) - Article Source
https://www.genepeeks.com/how_it_works/customer_journey
This is a success story found on the official Genepeaks website giving a short summary of common experience with gene peaks. This story may be a bit much because it was found on their website but generally this is what happens when parents sign up for gene peaks.
-Written by Audrey S.
https://www.genepeeks.com/how_it_works/customer_journey
This is a success story found on the official Genepeaks website giving a short summary of common experience with gene peaks. This story may be a bit much because it was found on their website but generally this is what happens when parents sign up for gene peaks.
-Written by Audrey S.
Resource 2) - Article Source
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/apr/07/disease-free-digital-baby-designer-children-fears
This link is article describing the technology when it first came out in 2014 written by Catherine deLange. This article gives more insight on designer babies it's self and Matchright being one of the leading new companies. There is also an interview with the CEO of Genepeaks Anne Morris, where we gain insight that gene peaks can be used for choosing traits like hair and skin color, waist circumference and hight. It also explains why Anne Morris was inspired to create Matchright computer technology. It talks about the potential risks it has and the benefits is has.
-Written by Audrey S.
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/apr/07/disease-free-digital-baby-designer-children-fears
This link is article describing the technology when it first came out in 2014 written by Catherine deLange. This article gives more insight on designer babies it's self and Matchright being one of the leading new companies. There is also an interview with the CEO of Genepeaks Anne Morris, where we gain insight that gene peaks can be used for choosing traits like hair and skin color, waist circumference and hight. It also explains why Anne Morris was inspired to create Matchright computer technology. It talks about the potential risks it has and the benefits is has.
-Written by Audrey S.
Resource 3) - Article Source
https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/ethics-designer-babies
This article was written in 2015 By Sarah Ly at first it disricbes what IVF can be used for than latter on it goes more into the ethical issues like gender selection. It talks about our case study the Collins case. It concludes with describing philosophical arguments that have been used to argue the pros and cons of IVF. The ending claim statement was; "Ultimately, designer babies represent great potential in the field of medicine and scientific research, but there remain many ethical questions that need to be addressed."
-Written by Audrey S.
https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/ethics-designer-babies
This article was written in 2015 By Sarah Ly at first it disricbes what IVF can be used for than latter on it goes more into the ethical issues like gender selection. It talks about our case study the Collins case. It concludes with describing philosophical arguments that have been used to argue the pros and cons of IVF. The ending claim statement was; "Ultimately, designer babies represent great potential in the field of medicine and scientific research, but there remain many ethical questions that need to be addressed."
-Written by Audrey S.
Resource 4) - Video Source
https://vimeo.com/68860139
This is an interview with CEO of GenePeeks, Anne Morris, where she tells her story of why she created the company GenePeeks. This video explains how there sperm bank works, and how it is possible for them to be able to select traits and sperm donors that aren't silent carriers. It tells the purpose of GenePeeks which is to "Give you're future family a healthy life"
-Written by Audrey S.
https://vimeo.com/68860139
This is an interview with CEO of GenePeeks, Anne Morris, where she tells her story of why she created the company GenePeeks. This video explains how there sperm bank works, and how it is possible for them to be able to select traits and sperm donors that aren't silent carriers. It tells the purpose of GenePeeks which is to "Give you're future family a healthy life"
-Written by Audrey S.
Resource 5) - Video Source
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roaPK035zLU
In this video Dr. Harvey Stern discusses why GIVF offers families the option of balancing their families by choosing the gender of their next child and how it is accomplished
-Written by Nick W.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roaPK035zLU
In this video Dr. Harvey Stern discusses why GIVF offers families the option of balancing their families by choosing the gender of their next child and how it is accomplished
-Written by Nick W.