More regulations needed for 'designer babies'

Dubai: Fertility services in the GCC need more detailed regulations at regional level to curb the unethical use of treatments, such as producing "designer babies," a regional fertility expert has said.

GCC states have 50 fertility centres, including six in the UAE, which operate independently of each other and with its own set of rules and regulations.

Many of these centres offer Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD), which checks the embryo, conceived in-vitro, for genetic traits including its gender before implanting it into the mother's womb.

Dr. Hamza Ali Eskandarani, Professor of Biochemistry at King Faisal University in Saudi Arabia, told participants at the Second Pan Arab Human Genetics Conference there was a shortage of precise regulations in the GCC, which a regional regulatory body would address.

"We have ethical, legal and social dilemmas" because the subject is taboo, and involves the status and manipulation of embryos, he said.

"[For example] some people think embryo is a person and so are against the creating and discarding of the embryo. They oppose the applications of PGD in all aspects," he added.

Other ethical and social dilemmas include choosing the traits of children and producing "designer babies".

He said the GCC could not depend on fatwas (religious edicts) issued on fertility issues as they were too basic and vague, only addressing the marriage status of couples seeking treatment, donation of sperm and egg, and surrogacy issues.

Present legislation in some countries, such as Saudi Arabia is superficial.

Dr. Eskandarani told Gulf News the regulatory body needed to be regional to ensure uniform application of regulations, to prevent patients from jumping from one centre, which is regulated, to another, which is not.

New centre

A fully-dedicated thalassaemia centre in the northern Emirates is in the works as part of the Health Ministry's strategy to unify treatment and preventive measures for the common blood disorder and other genetic disorders.

Thalassaemia care in the area is fragmented and lagging behind services offered in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.