Public health is all about preventing disease and injury. One source of disease is genetic mutations that can cause chronic illnesses. Some of these genetic illnesses result in very painful illness and death during infancy (Tay Sachs Disease). Some have very serious life-long consequences, treatments, but no cures (cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease), others might have a spectrum of disease from barely noticeable to severe disability/illness. Others, if they manifest, will have an adult onset (breast cancer, Alzheimer’s disease). Eventually, we might be able to treat these diseases with gene therapy or manipulate the embryo to fix the defective gene. However, some couples who know they are at risk for a dominant or recessive genetic disorder will opt to use implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to select an embryo that is free of disease. Referring to your readings and this film, what do you think about this approach to disease prevention? What are some of your concerns? Write your response in 500 words or less. This should be a personal reaction to the use of technology to avoid genetic illness, not a movie review you found on the interment.
