Posted on behalf of Marian Turner.
The German federal parliament voted today to legalise preimplantation diagnosis (PID) of genetic abnormalities in human embryos. The change brings Germany closer in line with the United States and most western European countries, where PID for this purpose has been legal since the 1990s.
PID involves testing embryos that have been generated by in vitro fertilization prior to implantation into a prospective mother’s uterus. PID is commonly used to test for abnormalities in chromosome number or single gene mutations that can lead to miscarriage or serious genetic diseases such as Down’s syndrome. In many countries, couples can choose not to implant such embryos.
Germany passed a ‘protection of the embryo’ law in 1990, under which the general consensus was that PID was illegal. But Berlin physician Matthias Bloechle took the daring step of testing the legislation. In 2005 and 2006 he found three couples who were prepared allow him to conduct PID on their IVF embryos, and to discard those found to be genetically defective. He then took himself to court. In 2010, the German Federal Supreme Court acquitted him, saying that PID is permitted in some cases. An intense debate began, leading to today’s parliamentary vote.
The debate followed the familiar pattern. Proponents argued that it would help avoid unecessary suffering, and pointed out that similar genetic tests are already in use during pregnancy, and it is legal to terminate a pregnancy if the foetus tests positive for such abnormalities. Those against argued for the sanctity of every life, and worried about a slippery slope to “designer babies”.
The vote, in which the politicians were allowed to vote according to their conscience, was close, with members from all sides of politics casting votes for and against the technology. A majority voted for the least restrictive of three proposed bills. This draft legislation states that PID remains in principle illegal, with the exception of its use by prospective parents who are at risk of passing on a genetic disease that is likely to cause miscarriage or stillbirth or will lead to significant suffering during life.
Under the new legislation, PID will be restricted to potential parents who have received counseling before the procedure, and cases in which PID can be used will be subject to review and approval by a federal ethics commission.
Image courtesy of moyix via Flickr under Creative Commons.