Should selecting saviour siblings be banned?

Sheldon, S. and Wilkinson, Stephen (2004) Should selecting saviour siblings be banned? Journal of Medical Ethics, 30 (6). pp. 533-537. ISSN 0306-6800

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Abstract

By using tissue typing in conjunction with preimplantation genetic diagnosis doctors are able to pick a human embryo for implantation which, if all goes well, will become a “saviour sibling”, a brother or sister capable of donating life-saving tissue to an existing child. This paper addresses the question of whether this form of selection should be banned and concludes that it should not. Three main prohibitionist arguments are considered and found wanting: (a) the claim that saviour siblings would be treated as commodities; (b) a slippery slope argument, which suggests that this practice will lead to the creation of so-called “designer babies”; and (c) a child welfare argument, according to which saviour siblings will be physically and/or psychologically harmed.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Journal of Medical Ethics
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3300/3306
Subjects:
?? health(social science)issues, ethics and legal aspectshealth policy ??
ID Code:
62231
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
07 Feb 2013 15:39
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
15 Jul 2024 13:35