Blogs as a counselling service: Support for parents in conflict over whether or not to opt pre-implantation genetic diagnosis

Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis is the subject of heated debate amongst experts and in the media. This diagnostic procedure identifies serious, hereditary conditions and can help to rule them out. The method of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis is highly controversial and often centres on the question of when life begins and to what extent humans are permitted to intervene in nature. Consequently, the question of ethical and moral boundaries is unavoidable. But who has the right to determine where this boundary lies? Against this backdrop, this paper aims to explore the relationship between pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and the fields of ethics and counselling. The focus here is on online counselling; in particular, blogs will be examined and assessed and compared in terms of their counselling function for women or couples who need help in deciding for or against pre-implantation genetic diagnosis.