Following the case of the so-called "first baby medicine" born in Seville to save his sick brother from an incurable anemia, the issue has been on everyone's lips and not without debate. If embryo selection is ethical, what other parents would have done instead, etc.
Recently, we learned that the child is being cured of his illness thanks to the transplantation of the stem cells extracted at the birth of the umbilical cord of his little brother Javier last November.
The history of this family has sensitized us all and has come to touch government strata, because yesterday the Minister of Health, Bernat Soria, has proposed to finance the genetic treatment to Spanish couples who need it.
He has proposed to the Autonomous Communities that the State finance the preimplantation genetic diagnosis, that is, the technique used to select genetically compatible embryos to cure their sick siblings.
The measure will take time to pass, but if the technique is done, it will be carried out through specialized reference centers. How could it be otherwise, the first on the list will be the Virgen del Rocío Hospital, a pioneer in the application of this technique that has made it possible to birth the first Spanish drug baby.
Of course, to become a reality would be great news for parents of children with uncertain prognosis diseases. They will be able to count on help towards the hope that the birth of a new child can save the life of another.
