Home > Artificial Reproductive Technology, ethics, Invitro Fertilization > France sees first ‘saviour sibling’

France sees first ‘saviour sibling’

February 8th, 2011

And what happened to the other embryos? And how will this child feel when he grows up and learns we was created through science, not conceived out of love, for the purpose of helping his siblings, not because he was wanted for his own sake. Talk about feeling used. I hope his parents can also afford his therapy. Even his name will serve as a constant reminder of his utilitarian purpose in life.

PARIS (AFP) – Doctors in France on Monday announced the country’s first birth of a “saviour sibling,” selected at the embryonic stage to be a close genetic match to save a brother or sister suffering from a fatal inherited disorder.

The baby was born at the Antoine Beclere Hospital in Clamart, in the suburbs of Paris, said doctors Rene Frydman and Arnold Munnich.

The child, born to parents of Turkish origin and named Umut-Talha (Turkish for “our hope”), was conceived through in-vitro fertilisation and was born on January 26 with a weight of 3.65 kilos (8.03 pounds), they said.

“He is in good health,” Frydman told AFP.

The child’s embryo was genetically selected to ensure he did not carry the gene for beta thalassemia, from which his siblings suffer, but was also a close enough match to provide treatment cells from , a rich source of stem cells.

Beta thalassemia produces an abnormal form of haemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells which carries oxygen around the body. It causes , which in turn leads to anaemia.

The world’s first “saviour sibling” was Adam Nash, born in the United States in 2000.

The issue has been hedged with moral concerns about so-called designer babies and the morality of conceiving life to help a child with a genetic disorder.

  1. Ruth
    February 8th, 2011 at 13:47 | #1

    What does “selected at the embryonic stage” mean?
    “The child’s embryo was genetically selected to ensure he did not carry the gene for beta thalassemia, from which his siblings suffer, but was also a close enough match to provide treatment cells from umbilical cord blood, a rich source of stem cells.”
    Were other babies aborted because they did not measure up?

  2. nerdygirl
    February 8th, 2011 at 19:29 | #2

    ….Enh. If the parents wanted another child, I don’t think it’s a bad thing. I just hope I never find myself in that position.

  3. Jamie
    February 9th, 2011 at 12:39 | #3

    uh, this has been happening for a very long time without the use of anything outside of, “our kid has leukemia and we’re going to have another to save her/his life. nothing new here. move along…..

  4. Sean
    February 9th, 2011 at 20:06 | #4

    “Jesus, meanwhile, says nothing at all about same-sex pairing, and when he discusses marriage, he discourages it.”

    Interesting how so many homophobes seek cover from the Bible (as if that ancient book has any relevance today). Sounds like the Bible isn’t so useful for condemning gay couples and their children as one might wish!

  5. Leland
    February 9th, 2011 at 23:21 | #5

    @Sean
    Jesus, meanwhile, says nothing at all about same-sex pairing…

    You probably want to be careful with that kind of reasoning, Sean. Jesus said nothing at all about gay-bashing either, but I am absolutely certain He would not approve of it. Ditto for same-sex (erotic) pairings.

  6. nerdygirl
    February 10th, 2011 at 06:54 | #6

    Sean, where the heck did that come from?

  7. Mark
    February 15th, 2011 at 17:46 | #7

    @Leland
    “Ditto for same-sex (erotic) pairings.”

    Leland, what frightens you so much about gay relationships?

  8. Leland
    February 15th, 2011 at 20:29 | #8

    @Mark
    Do you make silly imputations like that because you’re intimidated whenever someone doesn’t approve of homosexual behavior, Mark?

  9. Becca
    April 8th, 2011 at 11:29 | #9

    @Ruth
    it depends on what you consider abortion. To create a savior sibling, a group of embryos are made and screened using preimplantation genetic diagnosis. At this point, the embryos haven’t divided enough to have differentiation between types of cells. There is no heart beat, no body, no brain. When they find an embryo that presents with all the requirements it is then implanted in the women and allowed to develop. The others are disposed of. This is all done out of the body.

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