Last Second Shot
ESPN recently ran a web feature story and televised segment (Nov 17: now offline) on NBA All- Star forward Carlos Boozer and his son's struggle with sickle cell anemia. After months of trying to find a blood marrow donor to save Carmani's life, they tried an alternative route: having a pregnancy with genetically screened IVF embryos for the specific purpose of having a child that could produce cord blood that could treat Carmani's illness.
Savior siblings, or having a child only to save another child, raises numerous ethical questions. This except from the ESPN story captures many of them:
The second wave of guilt came hard and fast. CeCe had been so focused on finding a way to save Carmani that she'd never stopped to think about these babies. They weren't for her or for Carlos. She wasn't bringing them into the world out of love for them, or for what they might be or for who they might become. She was bringing them out of love for the suffering son she already had. She watched her abdomen grow and tried to feel for them. She couldn't picture them. Maybe there was no room in heart yet. Carmani was everything. Save Carmani. That was the mission.