Amendments to IVF law that will allow genetic testing to be carried out on embryos is “discriminatory” and will serve to undermine human life, the Church said in a position paper published on Saturday.
The proposed amendments will allow embryos with specific genetic disorders to be “frozen forever”, creating discrimination between which future babies will live and which will be frozen, they said.
Parliament is currently debating a number of proposed amendments to the law that regulates IVF, which includes a raft of proposals that would see services increase for couples that struggle with infertility.
However, a measure that would allow doctors to carry out pre-implantation genetic testing on the embryos has stoked controversy, with opponents arguing that embryos with genetic diseases would be doomed to remain frozen forever.
Supporters of the change, such as the Commissioner for Rights of Persons with Disability, have argued that prospective parents, particularly those who live with genetic diseases themselves, have a right to choose not to pass on their conditions to their children.
The tests would allow doctors to check for monogenic disorders, like Huntington’s Disease, and would allow parents informed knowledge of the complication they may face if they choose to proceed with the implantation of embryos with genetic conditions.
The changes in the law would not see these embryos discarded, but they may be given up for adoption.
The Church’s position paper was backed by 35 multi-disciplinary experts in the fields of medicine, science and embryology. While acknowledging the suffering of couples who go through IVF or who know their children may suffer from genetic disorders, they held that the amendments being proposed by the Government would see little chance of embryos with genetic conditions being adopted, which will lead them to remain frozen.
They instead suggest that a Polar Body Biopsy can be used as a viable alternative to testing embryos.
The experts acknowledged the suffering of couples who go through IVF or who know that their children may have genetic disorders. They are therefore proposing, amongst other things, more support services for couples who are going through fertility treatment and mention Polar Body Biopsy, which tests egg cells for genetic conditions, as a viable alternative to testing embryos, while both parents can be genetically tested for the conditions listed, except Huntington’s Disease.
“Irrespective of the conditions listed in the protocol, no embryo should be frozen forever. Selecting between embryos on the basis of their genetic make-up is discriminatory and disrespects the dignity of persons who already live with such conditions,” the Church said in its statement.”
“The experts said that any process that leads to the destruction of embryos is ethically unacceptable as it results in the destruction of human life while reiterating that society is responsible for safeguarding and protecting the most vulnerable, including the human embryo.”
The position paper may be read in full on church.mt