PREIMPLANTATION GENETIC DIAGNOSIS

The association of recent progress in two initially faraway fields ass isted reproductive technology and molecular biology has made way for t he preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). For some people this new t echnique was, immediatly, considered as an alternative to prenatal dia gnosis for couples at risk of offspring affected with severe genetic d iseases. This technique has the advantage of avoiding an eventual abor tion and replacing it by an in vitro embryos preselection. For others PGD appeared, above all, as matter of new eugenic risk. In fact, these excessive hopes and fears have contributed to bluring the true curren t problems of PGD, technical difficulties and still limited reliabilit y While the French law has admitted the principe of PGD use the measur es for its application remain to he defined But this legal authorizati on must recognize that this new technique will be, for a long time, at the stage of research, improvement and assessment.