HIGH SCHOOL

2nd Place: Kristen Antonio,

Grade 10

Since it is possible to create children that are 'designed' to eliminate genetic disorders, and given that the elimination of genetic disorders is by itself good, why is there such a large controversy over this practice? This question has emerged from the screening procedures that are becoming increasingly common during in vitro fertilization (IVF). Many people in our world see no reason to oppose what appears on the surface to be a good way to eliminate genetic diseases, but this method, supposedly to help society, is not as 'good' as it may first appear.

Many couples throughout the world wish to know ahead of time if their children will have genetic diseases that they will suffer from throughout their lives. Some of these parents may have the genetic disease themselves or have had close relatives that carry the disease and hope that their children will have a better fate. These people can use the process called preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) that is possible in IVF, to weed out the unwanted embryos and only implant the ones that they know will not have the unwanted genetic defects. Even though it would be wonderful if all children could have the chance to live without having a genetic disease, this method is not acceptable. The controversy over this practice results from the knowledge that these embryos, that are being screened, are tiny living human beings. By the parents only choosing the healthy ones to live, they are killing a large number of their own children. The result is that their child, who is genetic disease free, comes to them through a battlefield of death from their other unfortunate children. The question must be asked, would some of these parents, who carry a certain genetic disease, have rather had their life terminated close to the beginning, or are they glad for the life that they were given? Since each person's answer will be different, each individual should be allowed the chance to answer it themselves.

 PGD is seen by many people as a wonderful procedure as it could allow genetic disorders in our world to decrease drastically. However, if we believe the beautiful quote by Dr. Seuss, "A person's a person no matter how small," we can come to realize the harm and horror that screening the embryos during IVF can cause. If we realize that these embryos are little children, that have just as much right to life as anyone, we can understand that discarding the unwanted embryos, is exactly the same as killing and throwing away a toddler for a very primitive reason. However, because these children are only a very small number of cells in size, they are treated as less valuable than animals and thrown away or used in experiments where they will die. By disposing of these tiny babies we start to degrade our human society making it possible for us to be thought of as no more than unwanted objects and that, if we are not genetically perfect we can, and should be, thrown away without much consequence.

The good that genetic screening is supposed to perform does not justify the results. The killing of many children so as to allow for society to be free of genetic diseases is opposed by the famous quote "the end does not justify the means." The idea of clearing the human race to "purify" it was held by Hitler to justify the holocaust which our society does not support.  How then, can our same society justify PGD which follows in the same path as the holocaust, except with smaller human beings? Also, how can we know if in these children's lifetimes a cure or treatment for certain diseases will not be produced? Finally, how can another person know if these individuals will consider their diseases as a burden or they may enjoy life to their fullest extent? These people could influence our society in great ways through their lives, actions, and accomplishments which could either help alter the course of history or simply change somebody's life, neither of which is less important. Our society is dealing with huge issues and decisions, to decide whether to protect these tiny individuals or to go ahead and destroy so many children. It is our choice to decide, as we have life in our hands.

To answer our question from the beginning, why is there a controversy over PGD? The answer is because it allows the killing of innocent babies so the "so called genetically disease free babies" may have the preference of life. Also, by disposing of human life in such a convenient manner our human society is degraded and we may start to treat each other as no more than objects. We must help our society become more aware of the harm genetic screening in IVF causes so we can truly cure our world of this evil