The Newsletter 52 Winter 2009

Creating a 'saviour sibling' in China

Suli Sui

The development of genetic technology has broadened the range of inherited disorders that can be identified almost overnight. Thalassaemia, a genetically inherited blood disorder, is prevalent in the south of China. The situation of families with thalassaemia-affected children highlights a number of social and ethical issues related to the healthcare system in China, including the one child policy, and reproductive decision-making. And, as Suli Sui’s research reveals, it is these issues which make the social study of thalassaemia significant in China.

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