Bewertung der Präimplantationsdiagnostik (PID) und Pränataldiagnostik (PND) durch Humangenetiker und Reproduktionsmediziner/Gynäkologen in Deutschland

The present work deals with the representative survey of German human geneticists and reproductive medicine experts/gynecologists regarding their views of PGD and PND. The results were evaluated in the context of the bioethical debate on prenatal and preimplantation genetic diagnosis taking place in Germany. The work focuses on the evaluation of indications, consequences of technical progress and the ethical-moral issues on a possible establishment of this technology in Germany. The results indicate that both expert groups clearly supported PGD as well as PND. 94% of human geneticists and 97% of reproductive medicine experts declared that they were in favour of a legalization of PGD in Germany. Additionally, it was shown that the PGD was – in the view of the experts interviewed herein and regarding all tested indications - judged to be the ethically and morally more acceptable technique compared to PND followed by an abortion.It is to be hoped that this study may contribute to a better evaluation of bioethical theory and practice within a context-sensitive ethic as well as to a constructive and democratic solution regarding the controversy about PGD and other topical problems within biomedicine.