The parents of this baby paid to be a child and not have genetic diseases: the principle of an improved breed?

Sooner or later it had to happen. Science has advanced so much that it has already made possible select embryos by sex and, in addition, to choose those that, at the time of the election, don't have any genetic disease.

The ethical dilemma is important. In Spain, according to the Assisted Reproduction Law, it is only done when there is a hereditary disease, such as the baby born free of the breast cancer mutation because in his family there were already five cases of this disease, but in Bolivia he was born Recently the first baby whose sex has been selected by her parents, with the promise that has no genetic diseases.

What the Spanish Law says

Our law controls the technique of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (DGP) to limit its use to "The detection of serious hereditary diseases, of early appearance and not susceptible to postnatal curative treatment according to current scientific knowledge". In this way, unaffected embryos are taken for fertilization. In addition, the DGP is used to "the detection of other alterations that may compromise the viability of the pre-embryo"; and to do so, the center must contact the corresponding health authority, which will inform the National Commission of Assisted Human Reproduction.

This legislative control has as mission prevent parents from using this advance to decide the sex of their childrenon the one hand as well prevent them from paying for having a baby free of genetic alterations, in what could be considered a form of eugenics (Seek the perfection of the offspring so that the rest of the babies are at a disadvantage).

You have the clearest example of eugenics in the movie Gattaca, in which a genetically imperfect (invalid) man pretends to be a valid one, in order to aspire to develop the same work as them.

But in Bolivia there is no regulation

As in many Latin American countries, in Bolivia there is no law regulating the DGP or assisted reproduction, and the arrival of technology has not been followed by an ethical limitation. Thus, Duty reported yesterday of the birth of a baby obtained thanks to the fact that her parents have opted for the DGP.

Apparently, his illusion, after four sons, was to have a daughter. Knowing that they could get it with the preimplantation genetic diagnosis they went to the Montalvo Clinic of Santa Cruz, where they made it possible.

Natalia Montalvo, the professional who has directed the treatment from the beginning explains it this way:

She is the first baby in Bolivia born free of genetic diseases and sex selection. It is the first success in the country that allows us to see that this technique works. That opens doors for us at the most advanced in science.

And in that way he was born javiera, a baby who measured 51 cm and weighed 3,935 kg, and who is the first of others to come through the same technique.

Thus, those who pay will have previously selected babies to prevent them from having genetic diseases and whose sex is liked by their parents.

And those who have no means to pay?

Well, they will not be able to choose the sex of the baby and their children will have, perhaps, some genetic alteration that cannot be avoided when the conception is natural.

And this is scary, very scary, because who knows what can happen in the future with these babies. Will they be considered superior for not having genetic diseases? Will insurers charge you less for being less likely to get sick? Will they be selected, as in Gattaca, to carry out works of greater responsibility?

Not all that glitters is gold

However, not everything is as we are explaining. The DGP is a breakthrough in science, but it is not infallible and still carries many risks: to carry out the study one cell is extracted to each embryo at the time it has only 8 cells. This makes it a very aggressive technique in which many embryos do not get ahead for their selection.

Of those that continue, a few are considered valid for in vitro fertilization, but even in them the aggression of the DGP can leave a mark. As he explains Natalia López Moratalla on his Chronicles of Science page:

Of the newborns by this technique, and who have been able to continue medically after the biopsy, some presented severe malformations, others milder, and several died at birth. Those who survive maintain a state of health similar to those born by assisted reproduction, always worse than those generated naturally.

So what is the dilemma?

If it turns out that babies born by assisted reproduction, even those born after a PGD, have a worse average health than those born naturally, What is the dilemma?

Well, although now there is this difference, there will come a day, probably close, in which Babies born after a preimplantation genetic diagnosis will, on average, have better health than our children, better health than those born as always.

To avoid that differentiated "two races" are believed, those who get sick and those who don't, governments have to legislate as soon as possible, or the future will be what we have already seen in the movies. And there it is entertaining to see it, but in reality we will like it much less.

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