For some it starts as a medical issue, manipulating embryos can eliminate certain genetic diseases such as Tay Sachs or Cystic Fibrosis. So for those that carry the gene and can afford the procedure, preventing the chance of having a child with these types of diseases is now a reality as well, but it doesn’t stop there, this same technique is being used to predetermine all sorts of genetic characteristics.

For others it’s a matter of well we’re doing IVF anyways, so why not get the “perfect” child, or why not have that little girl you’ve been dying to have after your army of boys or give your husband that little boy to carry on the family name. Most couples today want a child of each gender, it’s perfectly normal, but is it right for science to play God? What are the side effects of such manipulation? IVF procedures fail every day, they succeed as well, but with such a high failure rate how can we ever be sure that the cause had nothing to do with the manipulation of the embryo?

Women are at risk for serious complications from the IVF procedure alone, in up to 10 per cent of IVF procedures women suffer from ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, and around 5 per cent of these cycles cause moderate or severe OHSS, which has the risk of disabling strokes or even death.

An IVF baby is also three times more likely to be born with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, which can lead to growth abnormalities and cancers, though it is still uncertain if this increase is caused by the parent’s fertility problems or the IVF procedure or some combination of both. As with the statistics regarding why IVF fails and if it has anything to do with the manipulation of the embryo, it is just to hard to tell there are to many variables.

Which leads us back to the beginning, are all the risks really worth the ability to play God?

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