Physicians' Experiences With and Attitudes Toward Non-Medical Sex Selection Through Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Total Enrollment

14 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2014-08-23

Study Completion Date

2014-12-31

Brief Summary

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Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is an assisted reproductive technology (ART) by which embryos, created through in vitro fertilization (IVF), can be screened for genetic conditions or traits before they are implanted into a woman s uterus. Within the past few years, a controversial non-medical use of PGD has gained recognition as having possible significant ethical implications. Non-medical sex selection (NMSS) describes the use of PGD technology to choose the sex of a child for social, as opposed to medical, reasons. In the US and a select few other countries, it is legal to use NMSS for family balancing, or the intentional selection of an underrepresented sex to balance a family where the majority of the children are of one sex. Proponents of family balancing believe that NMSS is an expression of reproductive autonomy and is ethically acceptable on those grounds. Opponents are more likely to cite beneficence (toward the existing children and the potential future child) and justice (resource allocation and access, for example) as the basis for concerns around NMSS and family balancing specifically. In the US and other countries, healthcare providers (HCPs) are often the gatekeepers to this technology. There is little research exploring the experiences of HCPs with PGD and NMSS. The Moral Experience framework (Hunt and Carnevale, 2011) is useful for understanding the potential concerns of HCPs as well as their feelings and behaviors evoked by lived and hypothetical experiences around NMSS. Also of interest is how HCPs feel that decisions about NMSS are made and their preferences as to how they should be made. Finally, there is concern that NMSS may be the first in a line of non-medical uses for PGD and that a slippery slope toward what some describe as designer babies will follow. We are interested in eliciting the traits that HCPs believe are hypothetically appropriate or inappropriate for PGD and how they make the distinction. Interviews with HCPs (OBGYNs and reproductive endocrinologists) on these topics will be transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis in order to identify common themes. An understanding of the experiences and attitudes of this stakeholder population can help clarify current issues at individual, societal, and global levels and future directions for research and policy....

Detailed Description

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Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is an assisted reproductive technology (ART) by which embryos, created through in vitro fertilization (IVF), can be screened for genetic conditions or traits before they are implanted into a woman s uterus. Within the past few years, a controversial non-medical use of PGD has gained recognition as having possible significant ethical implications. Non-medical sex selection (NMSS) describes the use of PGD technology to choose the sex of a child for social, as opposed to medical, reasons. In the US and a select few other countries, it is legal to use NMSS for family balancing, or the intentional selection of an underrepresented sex to balance a family where the majority of the children are of one sex. Proponents of family balancing believe that NMSS is an expression of reproductive autonomy and is ethically acceptable on those grounds. Opponents are more likely to cite beneficence (toward the existing children and the potential future child) and justice (resource allocation and access, for example) as the basis for concerns around NMSS and family balancing specifically. In the US and other countries, healthcare providers (HCPs) are often the gatekeepers to this technology. There is little research exploring the experiences of HCPs with PGD and NMSS. The Moral Experience framework (Hunt and Carnevale, 2011) is useful for understanding the potential concerns of HCPs as well as their feelings and behaviors evoked by lived and hypothetical experiences around NMSS. Also of interest is how HCPs feel that decisions about NMSS are made and their preferences as to how they should be made. Finally, there is concern that NMSS may be the first in a line of non-medical uses for PGD and that a slippery slope toward what some describe as designer babies will follow. We are interested in eliciting the traits that HCPs believe are hypothetically appropriate or inappropriate for PGD and how they make the distinction. Interviews with HCPs (OBGYNs and reproductive endocrinologists) on these topics will be transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis in order to identify common themes. An understanding of the experiences and attitudes of this stakeholder population can help clarify current issues at individual, societal, and global levels and future directions for research and policy.

Conditions

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Genetics Attitudes

Keywords

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Assisted Reproductive Technology Behavior Health Care Provider Ethical Concerns Decision Making Natural History

Study Design

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Observational Model Type

CASE_ONLY

Study Time Perspective

CROSS_SECTIONAL

Study Groups

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Physicians

15 physicians each will be interviewed from the specialties of reproductive endocrinology and obstetrics/gynecology.

No interventions assigned to this group

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

Participants must:

* speak English
* be at least 18 years of age
* currently be practicing in a clinical setting in the US
* have familiarity with PGD i.e. have discussed PGD with a patient or colleague in any context

Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Lori Erby, Ph.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

Locations

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National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), 9000 Rockville Pike

Bethesda, Maryland, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

Other Identifiers

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14-HG-N166

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: secondary_id

999914166