Very dense / deep but easily-memorisable notes, clearly setting out points and counter-arguments. Pre-empts every possible exam question scenario. Incorporates all of the extra readings required for the academic year. All you need to read and memorise if you are too lazy to study Medical Law from s...
PGD + Mitochondrial Donation + Gene Editing
2017: DID NOT COME OUT
2016: Answer either / or: The selecton of embryos based on their genetc characteristcs should never be permitedd Discussd
Students either did very well or very badly on this questonn For those who did badly, this was usually because they selected very
odd examples to demonstrate their answer, such as aborton (which is about the destructon of foetuses, rather than
embryo selectonn or genetc testng generally (on people, rather than embryosnd For those who focussed on more suitable
examples, such as PGD, their answers were much beterd Good answers teased out both why it might be ethically problematc to
select embryos based on their genetc characteristcsc as well as what the benefts of doing so might be. Many students
discussed selecton for not only clinical reasons, but also social reasons, with most students distnguishing between the ethical
issues atplayd The best answers contextualised their discussion with a consideraton of reproductve autonomy, and questoned
whether the risks of widely permitng selecton (eugenic impulses, marketiaton of children, access, genetciiaton of
certain characteristcsn justied interference or restricton on reproductve autonomyd
2015: There is nothing wrong with the creaton of savior siblingsd On the contrary it is always to be in a child's best interests to be able to
save his/her older sibling's lifed Discuss
2015: Three Parent IVF in order to prevent mitochondrial disease is the irst step on a slippery slope to designer babiesd Discuss
2013: Mitochondrial replacement raises no special issues and should be allowed whenever a doctor considers that it is in the best interests
of the patentd. Discussd
This queston was well answered, on the wholed Most people who chose to answer this queston had a good understanding of
what issues are raised by mitochondrial replacement and went through them, evaluatng their signiicanced
Very few people picked up on the fact that to allow mitochondrial replacement in the way suggested in the queston would be a
radical break from how PGD is regulated i.e. if a couple with a genetc conditon want to undergo PGDc the clinic must have a
licence from the HFEA to enable them to carry out that specifc testc and there are various factors in the HFEA’s Code of Practce
which must be taken into account before PGD can be ofered. In other words, it is deinitely not just up to the doctor to decide
what is in his patent.s best interestsd Quite a few answers simply stated that mitochondrial replacement should be regulated in
the same way as PGD, without really indicatng what this would involved
Some people engaged with what the queston meant by ‘patent. – is this the woman or the child who might be bornd In this
context, it would be the woman undergoing the treatmentd Others discussed the relatonship between ‘best interests. and
‘informed consent., emphasising that as well as a doctor thinking that the treatment would be in the best interests of the patent,
her informed consent (and that of the egg donorn would of course stll be necessaryd
2012: If would-be parents are willing to pay for PGD in order to select their child.s sex, or to ensure that their child is deaf, there are no
good reasons to prevent them from doing sod. Discussd
2011: In the context of aborton OR wrongful concepton OR pre-implantaton genetc diagnosis, discuss whether the law sufciently
protects reproductve autonomyd
2010: If a couple wishes to have access to PGD for any reason at all, and are willing to pay for it, neither parliament nor the HFEA should be
allowed to interfere with that choiced. Discussd
2009: De-regulatng the provision of assisted reproductve services is the only opton that adequately respects the libertes of citiens in this
area, and the only one which refects an appropriate role for the state in our intmate, private livesd. Discuss in relaton to PGD
PGD - PGD = procedure of removing cells from early embryos to test for genetc abnormality; Unafected embryos
transferred to womand
- Medical science is limited to single gene testng: PGD procedure cannot detect all possible defects child may have
- Target Audience: The procedure is usually used by individuals with a predisposed risk to genetc illnesses, couples
who have had previous afected pregnancies, or those who have had a family history of genetc illnesses
- PGD is rarely performed: In 2012 there were 523 cycles of PGD, with the success rates of pregnancy being 28%
lower than IVF; In reality, not many are concerned with the problems posed by PGDd
PGD - HFEA 1990: Silent on the circumstances in which PGD may be acceptable, although some rules were contained in
Regulaton the 1990.s CoP
- HFEA 2008:gave those rules statutory footng in Schedule 2 1ZA(2n; PGD was since permited where there was a sig
risk that a person with the abnormality will develop a serious medical conditon
- ‘Serious’: Unclear if a subj or obj approach to seriousness should be adopted; 2008.s CoP implies that the threshold
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