another slippery slope

By ( articles ) | Mar 12, 2008

If the bishops of England and Wales have not already persuaded you to oppose the pending legislation on embryo research and assisted reproduction, consider this BBC report:

New fertility legislation will make it illegal to use embryos with a known genetic abnormality in IVF treatment when ones without the same defect are available.

The BBC story focuses on the "defect" of deafness. If an embryo has a genetic characteristic known to cause deafness, under the proposed legislation it would be illegal to implant that embryo, and thus illegal to bring a deaf child into the world, if there's a choice.

That word "choice" should serve as a reminder that, thanks to existing law, the mother of a "defective" unborn child can always opt for abortion. There is always that "choice."

So if it's illegal voluntarily to begin a pregnancy with a child who is known to be deaf, how long before it's declared illegal voluntarily to continue a pregnancy if the child will be deaf?