Politics
Friday January 6, 2006
Screening IVF Babies For Defects Poised to Leap to Whole New Level
Children identified with potential to develop particular disease usually aborted
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
By Gudrun Schultz
GREAT BRITAIN, January 6, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) –Screening unborn babies for birth defects is poised to leap to a whole new level. Research by British scientists suggests it will soon be possible to screen human embryos for thousands of genetic disorders.
In most cases, current screening techniques are carried out on babies conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF), before the child is implanted in the womb. In such cases, a child carrying a recognized genetic disorder is “discarded.”
The new procedure builds upon existing methods of testing babies, conceived in vitro, for disease before they are implanted in the womb. These advances in genetic screening are limited to children conceived through IVF techniques.
A study issued by the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) shows improved estimates of birth defect frequencies in the U.S. population. The study has provided more accurate estimates of the rates of 18 major birth defects.
While the study states that the purpose of improving estimate accuracy is to help prevent birth defects, in fact pre-natal screening for disorders usually results in death by abortion for the children who are identified with the potential to develop a particular disease. In the U.S. 90% of all children with Down’s syndrome are aborted. In Canada the number is 85%.
While present testing methods have been able to identify close to 150 disorders, there are about 6,000 disorders caused by single-gene mutations that could potentially be identified with new technology. Currently, scientists can only test for known variations of genetic mutations, such as cystic fibrosis, and then only if the particular strain has been previously identified.
Having a genetic potential for a certain disease in no way means certain development of the disorder. Many people in full health carry in their genes potential for disease that never develops.
Research has shown that IVF babies have a dramatically increased likelihood of carrying birth defects. Recent studies from the United States, Finland and Australia, to name a few, show as high as 40% incidence of genetic disorders in IVF babies.
In October 2005, Health Canada spokesman Bill Maga said the department plans to introduce genetic screening to IVF clinics in May 2006.
The New Eugenics: Latest Advance in Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis Extolled
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/jan/04012910.html
Genetic Screening of Embryos to be “Regulated” by Health Canada
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/oct/05100504.html
42% of IVF Ova Carry Genetic Abnormalities New Studies Show
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/oct/05101905.html
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- Cardinal Rigali: You Can't Claim to be "Reducing Abortions" but Publicly Funding them in D.C.
- General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Testing, Phase out Lab Rats
- Ohio Supreme Court Allows Planned Parenthood to Conceal Abortion Records in Sexual Abuse Case
- LifeSiteNews Canada Day and Independence Day Message. Taking a few days off. LSN returns Monday July 6
- Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Archbishop's Resignation Accepted Under Cloud of Vatican Newspaper Misrepresentation
- Pro-Life Groups Announce New Colorado Personhood Initiative
- Judge Puts Kibosh on DC Gay "Marriage" Referendum
- Al Franken Win Hands Supermajority to Senate Democrats
- Group Funded by Canadian Bishops' D&P Joins with Others to Denounce the "Natural Family" and "Family Rights"
- Financially Troubled Planned Parenthood of El Paso Closes Doors
- Abortion Linked to Subsequent Pre-Term Births, New Research Again Confirms
- New Orleans Homosexual Couple Ask Fed. Court to Overturn Marriage Amendment
- Slim Hope Of New Ontario Progressive Conservative Party Leader Promoting Pro-Life, Pro-Family Issues
- Pope Accepts Resignation of Bishop Caught Involved in Homosexual Encounters
- Young Children Removed from UK Schools for "Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour"
- Northern Ireland Politician Cleared of Wrongdoing after Reiterating Christian Teaching on Homosexual Acts
- UK Conservative Leader Speaks at Gay Pride Fundraiser
- More Letters to the Editor on Canadian Catholic Development and Peace Scandal (July 1)
- Letters to the Editor - Readers Respond to Development and Peace Scandal
- Watch This Dramatic New Video on Catholic Bishops Conference Funding of Pro-Abortion Groups
Most Read this Week
- Homosexual Duke U. Director Charged with Offering Adopted 5-Year-Old for Sex
- Famed Fr. Corapi Calls Canadian Bishops' Dissent from Humanae Vitae "Catastrophic"
- Pope: It is a Childish Faith to Oppose the Church Teaching on Life and Family
- LifeSiteNews Detailed Response to Canadian Bishops' Whitewash Report on Development and Peace
- Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Archbishop's Resignation Accepted Under Cloud of Vatican Newspaper Misrepresentation
- Young Children Removed from UK Schools for "Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour"
- Is Pro-Choice the New Pro-Life?
- General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Testing, Phase Out Lab Rats
- Swedish Parents Won't Tell if Child is Boy or Girl as Gender Experiment
- Cardinal Rigali: You Can't Claim to be "Reducing Abortions" but Publicly Funding them in D.C.
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.