Higher Ethical Considerations of Embryo Screening
Part of Fertility Treatment — GCSE Biology
This higher tier covers Higher Ethical Considerations of Embryo Screening within Fertility Treatment for GCSE Biology. Topic 10: Fertility Treatment It is section 8 of 11 in this topic. This section is most useful once the core foundation idea is secure, because it adds the detail that pushes answers higher.
Topic position
Section 8 of 11
Practice
15 questions
Recall
20 flashcards
Higher Ethical Considerations of Embryo Screening
Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) allows embryos created through IVF to be screened for specific genetic conditions (e.g., cystic fibrosis, Huntington's disease, chromosomal abnormalities) before implantation. This raises several ethical considerations that AQA Higher tier students need to be able to discuss:
Arguments for embryo screening: Prevents the birth of children who would suffer from severe, untreatable genetic diseases. Reduces long-term suffering for affected individuals and their families. Can screen for chromosomal abnormalities (e.g., Down's syndrome) that increase with maternal age.
Arguments against embryo screening: Embryos that are screened and found to carry genetic conditions are discarded — some argue these embryos have the same moral status as a person and should not be destroyed. Creates ethical questions about which conditions "justify" discarding an embryo. Risk of sliding towards selecting embryos for non-medical traits ("designer babies"). May reinforce negative attitudes towards people living with genetic conditions.
AQA expects students to present both sides and reach a reasoned conclusion rather than simply listing points.
Quick Check: Explain why FSH injections are given to women before egg collection in IVF, and why this is important for the success of the procedure.
In a natural menstrual cycle, usually only one egg matures and is released per month. FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) injections stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs (superovulation) during one cycle. This is important because not all collected eggs will be successfully fertilised, and not all fertilised embryos will develop normally or implant successfully. Having multiple eggs available increases the probability that at least one or two healthy embryos will be obtained for implantation, improving the overall success rate of the IVF cycle. The woman is given higher doses of FSH than the body would naturally produce.
Quick Check: "Unused embryos created during IVF should always be frozen for future use." Evaluate this statement from both a scientific and ethical perspective.
From a scientific perspective, freezing embryos is beneficial: it avoids the woman undergoing another cycle of hormone stimulation and egg collection if the first transfer is unsuccessful, reduces costs, and preserves embryos for use if the couple wish to have another child later. Frozen embryos have comparable success rates to fresh transfers. From an ethical perspective, some argue all embryos should be frozen rather than discarded because embryos have potential human life and deserve protection. However, indefinite storage raises practical issues: storage facilities have limits, couples' circumstances change, and long-term viability decreases. There is no obligation to implant all embryos, and many couples and ethicists accept that unused embryos may eventually be donated for research or respectfully discarded. Overall, freezing represents a reasonable middle ground but cannot resolve the underlying ethical debate about embryo moral status.
Quick Check: Outline the differences between clomifene therapy and IVF as treatments for infertility. Include the mechanism of each and suggest when a doctor might recommend one over the other.
Clomifene therapy involves taking a drug (tablet) that stimulates the pituitary gland to release more FSH and LH. This promotes egg maturation and natural ovulation. If ovulation occurs, conception happens naturally through intercourse. IVF involves injections of FSH to stimulate multiple egg production, surgical egg collection, fertilisation of eggs with sperm in a laboratory, embryo culture, and transfer of embryos into the uterus. Clomifene is less invasive, cheaper, and does not require surgical procedures — a doctor would recommend it first for women who do not ovulate naturally but whose fallopian tubes are healthy. IVF is recommended when clomifene has failed, when fallopian tubes are blocked or absent, when sperm quality is very low, or when both partners have fertility issues.