Journal
BMC MEDICAL ETHICS
Volume 22, Issue 1, Pages -Publisher
BMC
DOI: 10.1186/s12910-021-00694-4
Keywords
Ethics; Qualitative analysis; Media coverage; Preimplantation genetic testing; Polygenic risk scores; Embryo polygenic profiling; PGT-P
Categories
Funding
- European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant [813707]
- Marie Curie Actions (MSCA) [813707] Funding Source: Marie Curie Actions (MSCA)
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Analyzing 535 news articles revealed that 8.8% portrayed embryo polygenic scoring positively, 36.8% expressed negative attitudes, and 54.4% remained neutral. Main ethical themes identified included concerns about a slippery slope towards designer babies, child and parental well-being, societal impact, deliberate choice, and societal readiness.
Background Current preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) technologies enable embryo genotyping across the whole genome. This has led to the development of polygenic risk scoring of human embryos (PGT-P). Recent implementation of PGT-P, including screening for intelligence, has been extensively covered by media reports, raising major controversy. Considering the increasing demand for assisted reproduction, we evaluated how information about PGT-P is communicated in press media and explored the diversity of ethical themes present in the public debate. Methods LexisNexis Academic database and Google News were searched to identify articles about polygenic embryo screening. This led to 535 news articles. 59 original articles met the inclusion criteria. Inductive content analysis was used to analyse these articles. Results 8.8% of articles gave embryo polygenic scoring a positive portrayal, while 36.8% expressed a negative attitude. 54.4% were neutral, mostly highlighting limited practical value of the technology in in vitro fertilization settings. We identified five main ethical themes that are also present in academic literature and the broader debate on reproductive technologies: a slippery slope towards designer babies, well-being of the child and parents, impact on society, deliberate choice and societal readiness. Conclusions Implementation of embryo polygenic profiling engenders a need for specific recommendations. Current media analysis discloses important ethical themes to consider when creating future guidelines for PGT-P.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available