Public perspectives on preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) from a nationally representative sample

Assessment of attitudes towards the use of preimplantation genetic diagnosis in a single center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

“…Our study demonstrates that support for PGD extends to the general Saudi population. Similar levels of support for PGD had also been seen in populations outside Saudi Arabia including Europe, Asia and the United States (Chamayou et al, 1998;Meister et al, 2005;Wah Hui et al, 2002;Winkelman et al, 2014). Although the majority of respondents in our study supported PGD to screen for genetic diseases, lower levels of support can be identified when asked about non-medical applications of PGD.…”

“…The first group started the data collection process using a hard copy of the self‐administered questionnaire along with a consent form. The original questionnaire was in English (Winkelman et al, 2014), so a translation to Arabic was performed to fit the targeted sample. The first step was forward translation to the desired language, which was Arabic.…”

“…Apart from the extensive medical applications, PGD might also be utilized for non‐medical purposes such as sex selection, or potentially for the attainment of desirable physical or personality traits. Although such practice is banned in most European countries for non‐medical purposes, other countries including the United States does not restrict uses of PGD, sparking a debate about potential influences on moral and religious values along with the evident biological impact (Winkelman et al, 2014). Despite the wide applications of PGD, some limitations are still observed including the inability to detect mosaicism and only being able to examine 11 out of the 23 pairs of chromosomes.…”