The term “savior sibling” is a recent by-product of the reproductive revolution meets the human genome project. With technology and genetic testing, we can create embryos in the lab, test them, and see which embryo is the genetic match for our sick child. The Daily Mail in the UK has this piece stating:
“Parents of sick children will be allowed to use IVF to create “spare part babies” under controversial laws published yesterday.
The legislation will dramatically relax rules on IVF clinics creating “saviour siblings” – who can help cure their older brothers and sisters of medical conditions such as leukaemia.”
Of course the embryos which are not the correct genetic match are typical discarded.
Author Profile
- Jennifer Lahl, MA, BSN, RN, is founder and president of The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network. Lahl couples her 25 years of experience as a pediatric critical care nurse, a hospital administrator, and a senior-level nursing manager with a deep passion to speak for those who have no voice. Lahl’s writings have appeared in various publications including Cambridge University Press, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Dallas Morning News, and the American Journal of Bioethics. As a field expert, she is routinely interviewed on radio and television including ABC, CBS, PBS, and NPR. She is also called upon to speak alongside lawmakers and members of the scientific community, even being invited to speak to members of the European Parliament in Brussels to address issues of egg trafficking; she has three times addressed the United Nations during the Commission on the Status of Women on egg and womb trafficking.
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