There’s a fascinating essay in this morning’s New York Times that shouldn’t be missed. Darshak Sanghavi, a pediatric cardiologist, discusses an evolving trend in the fertility world where parents are choosing to select embryos that are known to contain a defective gene. The technology is referred to as preimplantation genetic diagnosis and it involves the analysis of an embyo’s DNA prior to uterine implantation. This allows a doctor 
to predict the presence of a certain condition. The most provocative cases discussed in his essay involve parents with dwarfism and their fears of conceiving a child of average height. Sanghavi notes,
“It turns out that some mothers and fathers don’t view certain genetic conditions as disabilities but as a way to enter into a rich, shared culture.”
The bizarre decisions that some parents make for their children is often the result of their own complex issues. While I can’t comment on any of the individual cases discussed in this piece, I’m tempted to think that the decision to create a sick child is all about the parent.