¶ … Heather D's decision not to be tested for the Huntington's gene a wise one? Heather D's decision not to be tested for Huntington's is unwise given that Heather is about to become a mother. If she develops the disease, this could significantly impair her ability to parent a child. She should make provisions for the child if she has the mutation and should discuss the situation with her husband. The genetic test for Huntington's is not a test that merely indicates a tendency or a likelihood of developing the debilitating condition -- because of the fairly narrow chromosomal area affected by the mutation, scientists can predict with a great degree of certainty who will or who will not develop...

Does the genetic counselor's suggestion provide a satisfactory solution to the problem?
No. Most individuals who are opposed to abortion also view the termination of fertilized embryos outside of the womb to be tantamount to abortion. Although the counselor's concern is satisfactory from the standpoint of ensuring that the developing child that is brought to term does not have a genetic code with a deadly disease, from the moral point-of-view of Heather's husband, the action is the same as abortion.

Q3. Is pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and the discarding of affected embryos morally equivalent to prenatal diagnosis and selective abortion?

For someone who believes that abortion is an acceptable choice for a woman, the use of IV can be very helpful to enable infertile couples to have children. Even couples who do not believe in the moral acceptability of abortion may wish to have a prenatal screening test to prepare them to cope with a disabled child. However, for a couple morally opposed to abortion, given that the embryos are fertilized prior to selection,…