The embryo as a patient
•Download as PPT, PDF•
1 like•2,281 views
This document discusses the ethical issues surrounding genetic engineering and manipulation of human embryos. It argues that as medicine has progressed from treating adults to children to fetuses, the next logical step is also treating embryos. However, this raises debates around playing God, the rights of embryos, and unintended consequences. The document considers both allowing genetic engineering to progress human evolution versus banning it due to safety concerns. Ultimately, it concludes that qualified doctors working with oversight and under principles of medical ethics should be able to offer genetic therapies to embryos if chosen by informed consent of the parents.
Recommended
Recommended
More Related Content
What's hot
What's hot (12)
Similar to The embryo as a patient
Similar to The embryo as a patient (20)
More from Dr Aniruddha Malpani
More from Dr Aniruddha Malpani (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
The embryo as a patient
- 1. The embryo as a patient Dr Aniruddha Malpani, MD www.drmalpani.com
- 6. Logical next step in medicine • Adult • Child • Foetus • Embryo
- 7. Precision medicine • Prevention is better than cure • Treat at the genetic level – at the root cause of the disease
- 8. We’ve come a long way, baby !
- 10. From PGS – preimplantation genetic selection to PGT - preimplantation genetic therapeutics
- 12. Playing God ? • Familiar debate ! • Is IVF ethical ? When does life begin? what are the rights of an embryo? • Can human embryos be used for harvesting embryonic stem cell lines ? • Should cloning be allowed ?
- 13. Two views • Manipulating Nature is dangerous v/s • Triumph of man's ingenuity which can be used to overcome Nature's constraints.
- 14. Who decides ? • Top-down – scientists, philosophers, activists, government, doctors. • Bottom up - Leave the decision to each individual couple, who provide the reproductive apparatus to create the baby.
- 16. Challenges • Both technical and ethical • Assilomar Conference. Recombinant DNA. 1975. Moratorium , need time to evaluate the risk reward ratio • Transhumanism - Logical next step for human progress . Humans engineer their own evolution, rather than depend on nature
- 17. Challenges • Cells are still a black box . Worry about unintended consequences • Gene Drive • Gene Flow across species can lead to interbreeding • Dare we open Pandora’s box ?
- 18. Science Fiction
- 21. Slippery slope !
- 22. Criticism • Unnatural and artificial - Is nothing sacred ? • Money - Is everything for sale ?
- 23. Knee Jerk Reflex - Ban genetic engineering ! • It’s too dangerous, so let's prohibit it ! Easy to do, but will backfire. Throw the baby out with the bath water. • Other countries will steal a march on us and we will be left behind • Drive it underground ? • Need sensible guidelines and regulation
- 24. • Actions have consequences. • Inactions have consequences too • Fear of the unknown cannot paralyse us into inactivity
- 25. Dr Frankenstein
- 26. Should human embryo research be banned ? • We are not mad scientists trying to play God • We are doctors trying to do the best for our patients
- 27. Doctors are trusted professionals • If we trust doctors to make life and death decisions in the ICU, then why can’t they be trusted to make decisions about genetic engineering responsibly in partnership with their patients ? • Could set up a multidisciplinary committee to review each request ?
- 28. 3 principles of medical ethics • Autonomy • Beneficence • Non-maleficence
- 29. Evolution 2.0 ? • Human reproduction is not efficient. Hit and miss affair. Why not improve it ? • Natural Selection is a biological fact of life • If humans can do a better job, then why shouldn’t we ?
- 30. Human Reproduction v 2.0 • Mother Nature is not always kind - millions of people die of preventable diseases, which we can treat today
- 31. The problem with regulations • Rules vary so much from country to country means there are no right answers. • Rigid and inflexible. Get outdated • Isn’t it better to allow doctors the freedom to select what is best for their patients ? • This conference shows we are responsible and sensible
- 32. Solution ? • Let patients decide for themselves – it’s their life and their baby • A democracy empowers people to make their own choices • It’s unethical to interfere in their personal family-building plans • Need to individualise and personalise the care we provide