DECIDE: Engineering embryos

IVF treatment enables genetic testing of embryos before implantation into the womb. It is likely that this could become standard practice, but should this pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) be allowed?

As the Human Fertilisation and Embryo Authority allow screening of embryos for more inheritable diseases, will we increasingly become control freaks over which genes we pass on, and what offspring we allow ourselves to have? What pressures will future parents have to face in the light of better technology and more manipulation?

Uses of PGD so far include screening for known genetic defects, selecting embryos specifically for use as donors for sick siblings and choosing the sex of the embryo. Are the current uses ethical or already stepping over the line? Where should we draw the line between tests to ensure healthy children and eugenics? Is selecting a healthy embryo the same as destroying ones with an unwanted genetic condition?

Discuss whether we should be designing our babies in this way with others in DECIDE, a card game and policy-making tool that helps you get to grips with the issues before you decide on a policy position.

The Dana Centre is one of 13 institutions across 11 European countries taking part in the DECIDE project. The results from each event will be fed back to European policy-makers.

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