Peter Singer's Ethical Controversy

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Over time PGD has become a socio-scientific issue, this means its a controversial issue relating to science. PGD falls into this category because it boarders on multiple options with looking into a person’s ethics. For ethical reasons its becomes an issue when looking at selective terminations and advancements on PGD. Many people believe that life begins with fertilization. PGD gives couples the chance to screen many fertilized embryos to see if they have diseases including Cystic Fibrosis and Huntington’s. If they do carry this gene, then the couples can choose to terminate the embryo. Or if they form many ‘healthy’ embryos then the couples have to decide which one to keep. Causing a social debate on the ethics of this decision, whether …show more content…
He claims that it “benefited many people and Individuals should be free to make their own choices on this issue as it is a private matter harming no-one else.” His views have shocked many in 1993, he suggested that no newborn should be considered a person until 30 days after birth. This was his response to those who claim that terminating an embryo is murder. He says “Many children have been born as a result of this technology. It hasn’t harmed any of them or society so we should conclude that it is acceptable.” The main reason that Singer is pro PGD is because it “Decreases risk to couples or individuals with serious inherited disorders of having children affected with same problem.” 5 He has seen people with chromosomal diseases live painful and unpleasant lives and wants to help those people who don’t want the same for their children. The other viewpoint he has is that this procedure enables couples to pursue biological children who might not have done so otherwise. Why can’t couple who have fertility problems seek help to have their own biological children? 13 Singer is very adamant with this perspective and sees no harm in the process of PGD at …show more content…
I acknowledge that PGD can screen for embryos that have chromosomal defects that can lead to serious diseases and I think that this is a benefit for only a few diseases. I think that discarding these embryos is playing with nature. We are now picking and choosing who we want in our population. I agree with Rebecca Kopp when she explains that adoption is a better choice. Just because a child is not biologically yours doesn’t mean they will be any less part of the family. There are many children who are living in awful conditions and need a home. Another issue that I see is that undergoing PGD is an invasive and expensive procedure that does not have 100% accuracy. Ethically I do not like the idea of discarding embryos that are unaffected, this is a waste of resources and a potential child. I also think that with advancements in biotechnology the demand is going to increase and this process will soon become manipulated. The risk of ‘designer babies’ is very real. Some countries already undergo sex selection so that that couples can plan out their families. There are also insights that parents will soon be choosing traits they want to be passed on. I think that these biological advancements are un ethical and tampering with human evolution. There are many people who have diseases at the moment and are living life to the fullest. If PDG continues then these people will never exist
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