Genetics and Ethics

Artificial Insemination Artificial insemination is when sperm is placed into a female's uterus or cervix using artificial means rather than by natural copulation. Either the woman's husband's sperm or a known or an anonymous sperm donor can be used. Eugenics means the application of reproductive medicine not to help people have children and not to avoid different diseases but only to produce desirable or preferable types of humans.

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a technique in which egg cells are fertilized by sperm outside the woman's womb, in vitro. The procedure involves hormonally controlling the ovulatory process, removing ova from the woman's ovaries and letting sperm fertilize them in a fluid medium. The main ethical problem with IVF is that in the course of an IVF treatment, more viable embryos are produced than are desired.

Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) In SCNT the nucleus is removed from an adult somatic cell. At the same time, the nucleus of an egg cell is also removed. And then the nucleus of the somatic cell is inserted into the enucleated egg cell. And after it the egg is stimulated with a shock and will begin to divide.

Genetic Diagnostics Prenatal genetic diagnostics (e.g. amniocentesis) Pre-implantation genetic diagnostics (during IVF) Genetic screening of the developing embryo or the developing fetus combined with the right to choose abortion, or with the right to choose the desirable embryo to implant gives people a tool to influence their children’s genetic make up.

Gene Transfer Techniques Somatic gene transfer, when the genotype of one or more somatic cells are changed. Germline gene transfer (or germ cell gene transfer), when we make changes in the genotype of the ovum, or of the sperm, or of the zygote. The most intensive ethical debates concerning reproductive medicine are on the question whether we have right to influence the genetic make up of our children or not.

Stem Cell Researches

Stem cells Totipotent => whole organism, any type of cell, including extra- embryonic types. Pluripotent => Any type of cell, except extra- embryonic. Multipotent => certain types of cells (a family of cell types).

Embryonic Stem Cells (ES) and Embryonic Germ Cells Pluripotent embryonic stem cells can be isolated from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst (ES) We can use the excess embryos of IVF to obtain ES. And by the means of SCNT we can produce as many blastocysts (ES) as we want. And there is a further possible source of pluripotent stem cells, since those can also be isolated from aborted fetuses, more precisely, from the fetal gonads (EG)

Possible Solutions I. - In 2007 researchers have successfully produced amniotic fluid-derived stem cells ("AFS") => This research demonstrates a possible way to retrieve pluripotent embryonic stem cells without destroying embryos. - German scientists was able to derive pluripotent stem cells from sperm producing cells of the mouse => This research demonstrates a possible way to retrieve pluripotent stem cells from adult humans.

Possible Solutions II. Multipotent stem cells are found in adult animals as well as in adult humans and perhaps most organs in the body contain them. Zebrafish.