June 8, 2012 9:51 AM
(CBS News) Parents designing babies is "a real risk" in the wake of new research that's given
scientists the ability to map the genetic code of a fetus, according to Dr. Eric Schadt, chairman
of the Genetics Department at New York's Mount Sinai Medical Center.
He said the test that requires only a blood sample from the mother and saliva from the father
to diagnose more than 3,000 genetic disorders before a baby is born is a positive thing, but
brings up many ethical and social questions that need to be discussed prior to the test's use,
such as the potential for abortion for a variety of reasons following the test.
Schadt said on "CBS This Morning" that the test, utilized in a University of Washington study,
will be available for wide use in five years or more. Until then, he said, it needs to be talked about
extensively.
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yJB7PP6TGxQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
(CBS News) Parents designing babies is "a real risk" in the wake of new research that's given
scientists the ability to map the genetic code of a fetus, according to Dr. Eric Schadt, chairman
of the Genetics Department at New York's Mount Sinai Medical Center.
He said the test that requires only a blood sample from the mother and saliva from the father
to diagnose more than 3,000 genetic disorders before a baby is born is a positive thing, but
brings up many ethical and social questions that need to be discussed prior to the test's use,
such as the potential for abortion for a variety of reasons following the test.
Schadt said on "CBS This Morning" that the test, utilized in a University of Washington study,
will be available for wide use in five years or more. Until then, he said, it needs to be talked about
extensively.
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yJB7PP6TGxQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
