Biomedical Issues that arise with Fetal Genomes

                 Although I was absent on Tuesday, reading Mr.Bonamo's post and the links he put up initiated many questions in my mind. The ability to take  blood specimen, prenatal tissue, or fraternal saliva to recreate the genome of a fetus is an incredible breakthrough in the scientific community, especially when DNA sequencing technology is becoming faster and more affordable.
                  However, such advancements bring on a test of biomedical ethics. As mentioned in the NYTimes article, the acquirement of fetal cells through invasive testing can potentially cause a miscarriage. Although the chances of this possibility are not likely, I don't think a lot of parents would be willing to take the risk. Another issue that comes up is using the information gained from a fetal genome responsibly. What about couples that concieve a child through in-vitro fertilization? With the new technology available, they can have the embryo genetically tested for diseases. And what if they find out the embryo is positive for Down's Syndrome or Tay-Sachs disease? They might not want that embryo and move on to the next. And it can get worse; what if couples want a baby with certain traits? Blonde hair and blue eyes? There's nothing wrong with wanting such traits, but is it ethical to be that selective and have the right to choose between traits? If that were to happen, imagine what would happen to diversity and randomization in America. No parent want their child to have a disease or disorder, but it doesn't make it okay to reject a child that isn't seemingly perfect. So if DNA technology was abused and parents did get to choose what kind of baby they wanted, then for each rejection of an embryo, a life would be lost. Actually, many lives would be lost because that one fetus, that one child, is equal to however many generations it would have preceded. And to add on to that loss, abortion rates would certainly rise.
                  My point is, DNA sequencing and the recreation of whole genomes can be as helpful as they can be dangerous. With great success comes great responsibility.  I think if such techniques were made available to the public in 3-5 years, the issues I mentioned above should be taken into consideration and rules should be instilled to assure that the technology is not abused.