Reference no: EM132497366

Many infertile couples turn to in vitro fertilization to try to have a baby. In this technique, sperm and ova are collected and used to create eight-cell embryos for implantation into a woman's uterus. At the eight-cell stage, one of the fetal cells can be removed without causing harm to the developing fetus. Once removed, the cell can be genetically tested. Some couples may know that a particular genetic disease runs in their family. They might wish to avoid implanting any embryos with the disease-causing genes.

• Do you think this is an acceptable use of genetic testing?
• What if a couple wanted to use genetic testing to select embryos for traits unrelated to disease, such as freckles?
• Should there be limits on what tests can be performed? Discuss what limits you believe are acceptable and which are not.