Maastricht hospital disregards parliament’s call to withhold embryo tests

The Dutch parliament is due to convene an emergency meeting Thursday to debate whether Dutch hospitals may screen embryos resulting from IVF treatment for certain genetic diseases, reports said Wednesday.

After screening, only those embryos free of the gene that may later cause a person to develop the disease will be implanted in the uterus.

The emergency meeting follows after members of the smallest coalition party Christian Union demanded last week that Dutch deputy minister of health Jet Bussemaker (Labour) recall her letter to parliament of 26 May, which said the government supported extending the list of genetic diseases for which patients could request embryo screening.

The AZM (Academic Hospital Maastricht) hospital, however, has decided to proceed with the screening. After receiving the letter of approval from the deputy prime health minister, the hospital has immediately contacted the five patients it has on its waiting list for years.

“We cannot promise our patients to help them on Monday and call them back on Thursday, saying that the government has changed its mind,” Joep Geraedts, head of the clinical genetics department said.

“That would be neither humane nor ethical.”

Read the article: DPA via Expatica Netherlands, 5 June 2008