Testing Early in Pregnancy

The Roman Catholic tradition has set strong precedents regarding the practice of abortion. The precedent against aborting the unborn is clear from the Second Vatican Council: “. . . from the moment of its conception life must be guarded with the greatest care, while abortion and <!g>infanticide are unspeakable crimes.”The challenge to ethicists in the Roman Catholic tradition in the near future will be to examine what transpires at the preimplantation stage of the <!g>embryo (or pre-embryo) to determine if the word “abortion” applies. If it does, this may lead to recommending that <!g>genetic screening be pushed back one step further, to the <!g>gamete stage prior to fertilization. The genetic make-up of sperm and ovum could be screened separately, using acceptable gametes and discarding the unacceptable. The Catholic Health Association of the United States pushes back a step further by recommending the development of techniques of <!g>gonadal cell therapy to make genetic corrections in the reproductive tissues of prospective parents long before conception takes place—that is, <!g>gametocyte therapy.Other issues, such as the criteria for genetic acceptability still remain,  but the problem of post-conception abortion may be solved in this way.

Email link | Printer-friendly | Feedback | Contributed by: <!g>Dr. Ted Peters