「胚胎植入前基因診斷」之憲法問題Constitutional Issues of “Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis”

Abstract

為人父母即使不不奢求「望子成龍，望女成鳳」，至少也希望生下健康的下一代，特別是本身是重大遺傳性疾病的患者。這在過去，僅能藉由懷孕後的絨毛膜或羊膜穿刺等技術進行檢測。上世紀末，本世紀初以來，透過「胚胎植入前基因診斷」，讓「天擇」變成有「人擇」的可能。父母在胚植入子宮前，就可預先篩選「健康」的胚胎。從優生學的角度觀察，這無疑是一大福音；然若全面開放這種「扮演上帝」的技術，懷孕將如同在胚超級市場採購，甚至還有「訂製」的可能，更遑論將碰觸「人性尊嚴」、「生命權」及「生育自決權」等橫跨宗教、倫理、醫學及法律等領域，既嚴肅又難解的課題。對此，世界各國目前的態度不一。本文將從憲法的角度探討此議題，並提出個人淺見。 A healthy baby is not a granted wish for parents especially for those suffering from congenital/inherited disorders themselves. In the past, amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling has been done at 16 wk- or 10 wk-fetus for prenatal diagnosis. From the end of last century to the beginning of this century, timing of performing this type of early diagnosis was pushed further forward by the development of “preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)”. This means that parents can choose “healthy” embryos even before they implanted into a uterus. From the view of eugenics, it is a big progress. However, if people abuse this new technology, it may lead to a horrifying situation: everybody can play God’s role – to choose or even order “desired” embryos which maybe healthier, with the right sex, or even with more pleasant or intelligent characters, instead of letting them go through “natural selection” process. Moreover, this human selection process would create unprecedented and very difficult ethical issues of human dignity, fetal rights to life, and maternal rights for controlling conception, which extends the areas of religions, ethics, medicine, and law. This article will focus on constitutional issues results from “preimplantation genetic diagnosis”, including the legal status of embryos, and the fetal and maternal rights which should be protected by the constitution. In addition, the author will ponder on the concept of making “preimplantation genetic diagnosis” and offer counter opinions of using it, and finally propose a conclusion