A British couple has "sidestepped British regulations" that bar the use of preimplantation genetic diagnosis to create a child that is genetically compatible to their son by traveling to the United States, the Guardian reports. The couple, who requested that their names not be revealed, has a four-year-old son, Marcus, who is recovering from leukemia. However, there is a 25% chance that the boy will relapse within the next few years, and the couple wishes to create a baby with a "matching immune system" who could serve as a donor should Marcus one day need a bone marrow transplant. Neither the parents nor their other children have proved to be compatible donors for the boy. The couple traveled to Chicago to undergo in vitro fertilization, and the embryos were screened to ensure that they were compatible with Marcus. However, the couple has declined to undergo further testing on the growing fetus to recheck its compatibility, stating that "they had no intention of aborting if there had been an error." Marcus would not likely receive a transplant directly from the baby; the couple has stated that they will store stem cells derived from the infant's umbilical cord so that they can be accessed for a future transplant if needed.

'Designer Baby' Controversy Rages
The Guardian reports that the couple's decision to undergo preimplantation genetic diagnosis in the United States will "intensify the fierce ethical debate about genetic screening" of embryos, as the infant, who is due to be born by the end of the year, will become "Britain's first designer baby." Mohammed Taranissi, a British IVF specialist and an advocate of PGD, said that the technology should be allowed in the United Kingdom in cases such as this one wherein couples wish to help a child with a medical condition. "We are not creating designer babies. We are not trying to choose eye color or hair color. We are trying to prevent an illness," he said (Meek, Guardian, 10/15). Taranissi added that the United Kingdom's Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority, which regulates issues such as IVF and embryonic stem cell research, is "about to ... lif[t]" the ban on PGD (Woolcock, Daily Telegraph, 10/15). Another British couple, Raj and Shahana Hashmi, are also seeking to create a genetically compatible sibling for their son, who has a rare, life-threatening blood disorder and who will not live unless he receives a blood transfusion or a bone marrow transplant from a close genetic match. The Hashmis are waiting for a ruling from the HFEA about whether such a procedure is permissible, but they too plan to seek treatment in the United States if they do not receive approval in their own country (BBC News, 10/15).