November 9, 2009
Egg Donor Institutions Descriminate
The infertile parents are worried about how “special” their baby will be. However, do you think it’s right that the “beggers are choosers” or that the institutions support biggotry? Hmm, Let’s look at a blog post here:
Megapixel Productions
“Do we want to have a society where parents can flip through a DNA catalogue and design their own ‘boutique baby’? Will we accept that it is perfectly reasonable to discriminate against people before they are born, or prevent them from being born, because we don’t like their genes?” Dean Hamer, Geneticist at the National Cancer Institute from “Remaking Eden” by Dr. Lee M. Silver.
By: Dean E. Masserman, Esq.
Until recently, genetic disorders could only be detected during pregnancy using one of two methods: amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling. Amniocentesis is done when the fetus is twelve to sixteen weeks old and consists of drawing a sample of the amniotic fluid from around the fetus and examining a floating cell from the fetus. Chorionic Villus sampling involves taking a small sample of the placenta at an early stage of development and examining it in the laboratory. The problem with these two procedures is that they can only be performed after conception, and after significant fetal development. Therefore, if the analysis shows that the fetus is genetically defective, the parents are faced with a decision of whether or not to terminate the pregnancy.
However, thanks to recent advances in genetics, an alternative procedure now exists which enables geneticists to diagnose most genetic defects in the embryonic stage, before pregnancy is established. This technique would vitiate the need for screening during the pregnancy and hence prevent the psychological trauma associated with terminating a pregnancy where genetic defects are detected. Moreover, it will enable couples who are carriers of profound genetic disorders to significantly decrease the risk of having a child that is afflicted with the same problems. For these couples, this technology is a miracle that will enable them to create a healthy family. To the majority though, the consequences of such intervention is daunting as it raises issues of sex selection and genetic engineering. Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD), is a recently developed technique that can be utilized during In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) procedures to test embryos for various genetic disorders prior to an intrauterine transfer. PGD was made possible by the advent of a process called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) which allows a specific DNA sequence to be replicated many times and then rapidly analyzed.
The advent of PCR has been characterized as the most important scientific discovery of the twentieth century; completely changing the course of the biological and biomedical sciences. In the field of third party reproduction the effects of these advances are profound, and the procedures quite simple.
Embryos are obtained by combining an egg and a sperm in a petri dish under laboratory conditions. (IVF). As each embryo divides to about the 8 cell level it is isolated and a blastomere (single cell) is removed from each embryo and tested for the presence of genetic disorders; the entire process taking only 12-24 hours. Those that display some type of genetic abnormality are disposed of and the unaffected embryos are transferred back into the uterus in the IVF cycle. This highly sophisticated technique called micro- manipulation does not adversely affect further development of the embryo and has already produced more than thirty pregnancies worldwide. More importantly, it has been scientifically shown to effectively detect a wide variety of genetic diseases including cystic fibrosis, Tay-Sachs, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, hemophilia, fragile X-syndrome, retinitis pigmentosa, Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, Charcot Marie tooth disease, gender down syndrome, Marfan syndrome, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and could be employed to detect nearly 200 other gender related genetic disorders.
So where is the dilemma? PGD is simple, non-intrusive, relatively cost efficient and extraordinarily accurate. PGD avoids the stress and emotional trauma of having to terminate a pregnancy and enables couples to have a child with the full assurance that it will not be carrying any genetic disease passed on by them. Simply put, it allows parents to manipulate the process of natural selection and therein lies the rub. The dilemma facing geneticists, and soon the world at large, is whether or not such intervention is moral, and to what extent the practice should be utilized. The technology has much broader application than that discussed thus far. Prospective parents can not only screen for genetic defects, but potentially could determine the entire genetic makeup of the their unborn child. They may opt for a more artistic female child with fair skin and blonde hair. They may want a male child who is more analytical and has a passion for sports. Or, they may simply use PGD as a sex selection tool. And some couples may try to screen out the DNA alleles that account for obesity, high blood pressure and acne.
Additionally there are the fundamental religious considerations. Some might consider this procedure murder because the cell that is removed could have conceivably developed into a fetus, but instead it was destroyed as part of the testing. Others might contend that a genetically fertilized egg, if allowed to mature and result in a live birth, may not produce a defect at all, or may not manifest any symptoms until the person is in his/her early thirties or forties by which time a cure could be developed.
These illustrations, albeit extreme, do serve to make a point. PGD may take us down a road that will rapidly transform to a slippery slope. Currently, only a handful of specialized institutions with excellent IVF and molecular biology laboratories offer preimplantation diagnosis, and only to those couples at high risk, or those who have already had an affected child. However, with the coming of the new millennium, so comes a plethora of legal, ethical and moral quandaries that will literally shape our children and the world they live in.
Reprinted by permission: Vorzimer, Masserman & Chapman, 1998 ©
from http://www.eggdonor.com/?page=medicalarticles
Please leave your sincere comments about this issue!
October 3, 2009
Are the Self Employed Progressing?
Are the self employed progressing? Think about what the majority of people are saying over the internet about how much people are failing. Why do you think they bring this up? When you look at a professional’s messages a little closer…
Weekly Highlights
Every Other Wednesday
This week, On The Money’s logo is looking a little odd, *giggles*. On a serious note, we are going live again this Wednesday October 7, 2009 4:00 PM EST/ 3:00PM CST/ 1:00 PM PST with a topic that entrepreneurs, e-tailers, artists, musicians, and business owners need to tune into. So, why do you really need to listen this time? We’re going to be talking about the importance of listening in business. Yes, this sounds like something really simple to do, but it isn’t all that simple when you have numerous complaints and your volume has dropped it’s way out of business. Think about it. To tune into my live segment, click on the messy logo to your left.
THIS JUST IN!!!
Speaking of needed changes, you are not going to see this logo any longer. Instead, Industry News opted to broaden its horizons by growing into The Jennifer Korol Show; the sister segment of On The Money. Let’s face it, people like to view what I’m talking about rather than just listen. For those who like to listen in on less than a full segment, this show is for you. Say good bye to Industry News by clicking on the logo to your right.
Are the Self Employed Progressing?
Are the self employed progressing? Think about what the majority of people are saying over the internet about how much people are failing. Why do you think they bring this up? When you look at a professional’s messages a little closer, you might wonder to yourself, “Is this a competitive marketing tactic? Are these people who they say they are? How will I succeed if and when I join them?” or “Will their product/service hold the quality the business owner claims it to?” The answers are very clear when you look at what they do instead of listening to what they have to say at face value. For the impatient, there are face value answers for these simple questions. Yes, in a way they are competing for your business. Whether they are competing against another company or marketer out right or not, they are always “on the edge”. Most of these people are who they say they are, but at a face value level. You will only find out if they are the “real deal” when you decide to talk with them. There is a fairly new saying, “Time will show true colors.”, and this is true to every consumer’s experience. To answer the third question, it is really up to you. The person you decide to talk with can be the most knowledgeable and even take the time out to train you or further educate you about the product you’re interested in. However, it is essentially up to you to make something worth while after you receive good training or good customer service.
Are you still with me? Okay, now I’m going to get into these questions from another angle. Say you own a business of any size and are looking into a product or service that might help your business to grow. Let’s review the questions in mind again:
Is this a competitive marketing tactic?
If you have ever gone through the hiring process, you would want to know why the applicant wants the job other than the pay and benefits. Think outside of the competition for one minute. One real question inside of this question might be, “What is the message that is being sent out from this campaign ad you saw?” If this ad was visual, did you see any sincerity or genuine expression? Did this person cover all aspects of the topic at hand? If he or she did not off-hand, are there other resources you can find the information provided by the same person? If this marketer or business owner stepped outside of the marketing box and provided the detailed information you’re looking for, you just found their “marketing tactic”. I quoted that phrase, because this person no longer rendered their message as a marketing tactic. He or she took this a step further by educating you about the product or service mentioned in the ad before you had to ask. This saves you time from going through the unnecessary questions, and you can get to the bottom of how this person’s product or service can help your business grow.
Are these people who they say they are? How will I succeed if and when I join them?
Most business owners sit and wait for the product or service to work for other businesses. While knowing their stats and remarks may be helpful, you have to take one thing into consideration. This person built your trust through their warm market. Let’s face it. Any time an innovative product or service comes out, it is only discovered by you after their warm market helped them to build their stats and testimonials. Does this sound like biased white papers to you? Instead of banking on what their friends have to say about them, take the time to get to know what he or she really provides. Any self-made and innovative entrepreneur knows that building a portfolio of their work will be useful to them in the long run. If this person provides services, ask to see some samples of what they have done. If he or she put a product on the market, ask to test it out for a trial period. I doubt you would get a “no”. Any respectable entrepreneur is willing to go the extra mile without having to rely on their friends’ votes.
Will their product/service hold the quality the business owner claims it to?
In lieu of the second question, I think that after you are offered a trial period or you are shown some samples of their work, you will have enough information to make a good judgment call. Secondly, it would not hurt the business owner to upload a video presentation about each service/product they have out on the market. Of course, something like this would look like a DIY video, but it is good to see they know what they are doing and that you will get the service you deserve.
With all of this being said, I would like to show you a few self-made samples of digital video introductions I have done for my own purposes. If you would like more information on what you are about to view, send your inquiries through:
http://www.mymegapixelproductions.com
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment 
Jennifer Korol
September 8, 2009
Do You Make an Effort to Remember Your Personal Life?
Do you make an effort to remember your personal life? Many of us aspiring Entrepreneurs, Artists, and Small Business owners struggle with taking time out to appreciate the “small things” in life. This post is dedicated to helping you find your center and achieve a healthy balance in life.
Every Other Wednesday
Every Other Wednesday
Shayna Balcom and Jennifer Korol team up to review the book, “The Four Agreements” by, Don Miguel Ruiz. Both of us have found a tremendous amount of value in what the book provides in terms of self-help and mindset. We are giving our unbiased review of this masterpiece as well as the author who is, undoubtedly, “On The Money”! If you’re having trouble healing or you avoid working through your problems by taking on a ton of work, then this segment is for you. Tune in live at 4:00 PM EST/3:00 PM CST on Wednesday September 9th, 09′ by clicking on this awesome show logo!
Just a few self-help articles:
http://dating.personals.yahoo.com/singles/relationships/24336/dating-tips-9-ways-to-make-your-relationship-last
http://www.ehow.com/how_5388518_money-off-mind-business.html
