Japan to allow wider preimplantation genetic testing of eggs in IVF

If you are having trouble conceiving naturally, and you are paying a fortune just so that you can enjoy being a parent, you should have the right to choose whether or not that child that will grow up with a debilitating or life-threatening illness. Which parent in their right mind wouldn't choose to have a healthy child ?

This is going to be a very unpopular opinion, but the argument put forwards by the people suffering from these diseases seems selfish. Why would you want more people to go through that suffering? True these kids could live their lives with support from society, but get this, they could live their lives completely healthy with support from science instead.

I agree with Chabba, I think it is one thing for children born naturally who develop these conditions to be given all the opportunities possible. Sure of course.

However, we are talking about eggs here, not even a fetus; why would we not choose the one with the best potential if we had that opportunity. I can't imagine even a religious zealot saying that an egg already constitutes a child.

But the testing has often met criticism since it could lead to only fertilized eggs without abnormalities being selected as worthy of life.

I am going to be honest, I don't see the problem with this statement. It's not saying that people who suffer those conditions aren't worthy people, but one would think that people who suffer those conditions would be among the first to not want others to suffer the same way or risk passing it along to their own children. In fact, I would say this would be the only morally responsible way to have children if you knew your family was high-risk for this kind of debilitating disease.

I am all for a better life for all.

If this search for debilitating/life threatening diseases is done also for naturally-conceived children, why not.

If not, then it is pure eugenics.

I predict we will be going soon anyway for blue eyes, tall and blonde kids for most couples.

Does that ring you a bell ?

Have you watched the movie Gatacca ?

The consequences are touching us as our species.

Majority will go for it as democracy prevails, but it is scientific matter of utmost importance, way more than climate change.

This is definitely an ethical grey area, but as @chabbawanga said, these are couples that have struggled with infertility already, usually for years. The expense, not to mention the emotional and physical toll, is already immense. If that couple feels they can't handle more difficulties, I don't think as a society it is fair to tell them they must take it on, if there is a way that they don't have to. For example, if they get 5 eggs after treatment, and 3 are unhealthy but 2 are fine, it just doesn't seem fair to them to make them choose the unhealthy eggs. Not to mention, after an unhealthy egg is fertilized, the rate of implantation and development into a fetus is lower and miscarriage is higher. So if it doesn't develop into a fetus, that would be forcing the couple to undergo implantation again, again at great financial, emotional, and physical cost.

Of course if we are talking about embryos or fetuses already developed, then it is harder to justify. But, at least at the egg and sperm level during IVF, I feel the couple should have more say in it, considering their already large burdens. I mean, we aren't talking about meaningless genetic screening here, like sex or eye color, predispositions to leukemia, cerebal palsy, spina bifida, etc can cause death. It's a very sad and difficult issue though.

It’s not going to stop here.

This is only the beginning and is a very slippery and dangerous slope