Eugenics stir emotions in Germany

BERLIN - Because of its dark history in Germany, genetic tinkering with human reproduction is a matter of hot debate here - hotter than in any other country in Europe and, perhaps, the world.

Lately, the temperature has jumped even higher, specifically concerning whether would-be parents should be allowed to use a medical procedure that, doctors say, eliminates the risk of hereditary diseases being transmitted to offspring.

The procedure, called pre-implantation genetic diagnostics (PGD), is forbidden in Germany but has been used in fertility clinics elsewhere since its invention in 1989.

The latest firestorm erupted last month at a Berlin conference on human reproduction, when researchers released a survey indicating that 4 in 5 Germans approve of PGD to prevent genetic diseases.

Charges of bias in the survey - and countercharges of thwarting the public's will - have been flying ever since. Feelings on the matter run so deeply that one politician, who defends the law that bans PGD, characterized the import of the debate this way: "If we break [this law], then we break the basis of our society."...