First embryos screened for deafness gene

Counseling is seen as playing a vital role in answering complicated questions concerning the ethics of gene selection.

By Andis Robeznieks, AMNews staff. Sept. 1, 2003.

The announcement this summer that several embryos had been successfully prescreened for the gene that causes deafness has ethicists and physicians debating whether the milestone was an appropriate use of technology or the beginning of what could become the business of designing babies.

At the International Genetics Congress, held in Australia this past July, it was reported that a couple who carry a gene that causes deafness had their in vitro fertilized embryos screened at Melbourne's Monash IVF Center last fall.

Monash reported that this was the first time embryos were screened for deafness. It may also have been the first time embryos were screened for a non-life-threatening condition.

In addition to the debate over whether deafness is a disability or just a "difference," some ethicists voiced concerns that this may have opened a Pandora's box that could lead to genetic screening for cosmetic traits.

"Essentially, it's not an unanticipated situation," said Michael Goldrich, MD, a Highland Park, N.J.-based otolaryngologist who chairs the AMA's Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs. "We're talking about increasingly gray areas of decision-making. Certainly things are more black and white when you're dealing with a life-or-death situation."

Arthur Caplan, PhD, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, said that eventually genetic testing will be used to screen for height, risk factors for obesity and even personality.