Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) in the era of predictive medicine

Abstract

High speed sequencing is revolutionizing the various genetic tests and in particular preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), opening the doors to an increasingly efficient predictive medicine. PGD itself is not new, and the various legistations have been dealing with it for some twenty years. National ethics committees, for their part, have widely debated antenatal tests in the context of medically assisted procreation. This paper examines the work of these Committees on PGD in three States, France, Belgium and Switzerland, in order to highlight their similarities and differences. The subject has also been raised and discussed in the context of the États généraux de la bioéthique which took place this year in France and, given the progresses made recently, they have echoed certain demands of civil society. However, in France, caution continues to dominate.