MEDI7231 Study Guide - Final Guide: Primum Non Nocere, Categorical Imperative, Fanconi Anemia
SAVIOUR SIBLINGS
Sheldon S, Wilkinson, S. Should selecting saviour siblings be banned? J Med Ethics. 2004;30:533-537
Argument 1 – commodification
Two distinct concerns
Parents are bringing the child to life primarily for the purpose of saving another
Possible perception that the child will feel less loved, as it was conceived out of purpose rather than love
Argument for
Kant – never use anyone as a a means to an end
It does not adequately distinguish between creating a child as saviour sibling versus creating a child for
instrumental purpose (complete family, be sibling to others, delighting grandparent desires etc)
Argument against
Parents, who care so deeply about sick child that they are willing to create another child to help the first,
are very likely to also care deeply for the new child created
Kantian is a flawed argument as it depends on Kantian position of using child solely as a means to an end
only; although child is being used as means, it is also being wanted for love and addition to family
Argument 2 – slippery slope
If we are allowed to create special saviour siblings, what about designer babies?
Arguments for
Reductio ad absurdum - an attempt to refute a position by showing that it has some absurd implications
Allowing selection of saviour siblings isn't morally different from people choosing designer children, thus if
we ban designer baby methods, we should bad saviour sibling methods
Arguments against
Saviour siblings is for the concurrent purpose of saving a life + creating an already desired addition to the
family; designer babies does not render any additional gain
Saviour siblings are chosen to save a life
Designer babies are chosen for superficial means
Prima facie case for permitting saviour sibling selection is stronger than designer baby selection
Designer babies involve choosing a numerous amount of traits, thus a large pool of preimplantation
embryos would be required for selection, thus imposing considerable costs, discomfort and inconvenience
Argument 3 - welfare of the child
Physical harm directly with PGD process
Embryo biopsy for PGD does not seem to produce adverse physical effects in the short term, but we cannot
exclude long term effects
Benefit of invention of embryo from having a serious genetic disorder outweighs the risk of long-term
effects of the intervention
Net benefit principle:
oThere is caution raised over the possibility of harming a future child caused through the process of
PGD on the embryo
oCurrently unknown, no evidence to suggest harm
oConversely, the testing of an embryo and finding it is disease-free & correct tissue-type gives it a net
benefit of having a higher chance of life
oNot requiring a saviour sibling may have meant no chance of life for the embryo; the requirement of
the saviour sibling has given this embryo a chance of being born and existing
Psychological harm
First concern is that child realises they were wanted not for her existence, but to save the life of a sibling
Second concern is that a child conceived for this reason is less likely to enjoy a close and loving relationship
with its parents, who are less likely to value and nurture the child
However, there is belief that if parents are highly committed to the wellbeing of the child needing to be
saved, they are likely to value the second child just as much as the first, if not even more as it helped save
its dying sibling
Argument 4 – disposal of excess embryos
Argument for – large waste/ disposal of excess embryos
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Parents are bringing the child to life primarily for the purpose of saving another. Possible perception that the child will feel less loved, as it was conceived out of purpose rather than love. Kant never use anyone as a a means to an end. It does not adequately distinguish between creating a child as saviour sibling versus creating a child for instrumental purpose (complete family, be sibling to others, delighting grandparent desires etc) Parents, who care so deeply about sick child that they are willing to create another child to help the first, are very likely to also care deeply for the new child created. Reductio ad absurdum - an attempt to refute a position by showing that it has some absurd implications. Allowing selection of saviour siblings isn"t morally different from people choosing designer children, thus if we ban designer baby methods, we should bad saviour sibling methods.
