Letter to the Sunday Times
28 January 2010
Sir
The article in the Sunday Times last week ‘Embryos destroyed for minor disorders’ was inaccurate and misleading and could cause confusion and distress for those families undergoing or considering IVF treatment with pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD).
PGD is licensed only for serious medical conditions which severely threaten the future health and wellbeing of children. It is not a ‘routine’ procedure.
In 2007, out of nearly 37,000 patients who received fertility treatment, 169 had PGD, fewer than one in 200.
As anyone who has embarked on fertility treatment understands, IVF is a stressful and expensive therapy. It places great strain on individuals and their families. People who choose PGD do so because they fear passing on a serious and potentially fatal medical condition to their children and they are usually fertile. They do not take this decision lightly.
Licensing a clinic/condition for PGD testing is a rigorous process. License committees adhere to the HFE Act 1990 (as amended), they consider evidence from independent peer reviewers and from patient groups, and others with a particular concern.
Patients will receive counselling and a full discussion of the implications of the procedure including consultation with a clinical geneticist and staff at the clinic, and more counselling afterwards. Some of these people may already have children with the condition. They will fully understand the implications of their choice.
Embryos are tested when they are just three days old and made up of about eight cells. They are not at the developed stage of the foetus as shown in the photograph.
Finally, to suggest that embryos are destroyed for ‘minor conditions’ which would require ‘unpleasant treatment’ is not only misleading, it is disrespectful both to those living with the condition, and those seeking to avoid passing on these serious conditions to their children.
Yours
Professor Lisa Jardine CBE, Chair of the HFEA.
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Page last updated: 28 January 2010