This campaign originally arose from this post on Grumpy Old Deafies blog, in response to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill.

Currently we have specific objections around part of Clause 14:

(9) Persons or embryos that are known to have a gene, chromosome or mitochondrion abnormality involving a significant risk that a person with the abnormality will have or develop—

(a) a serious physical or mental disability,
(b) a serious illness, or
(c) any other serious medical condition,

must not be preferred to those that are not known to have such an abnormality.

Which would prevent certain groups (including Deaf people) from becoming donors, and the choice over an embryo would be restricted, e.g. no deaf embryos could be selected. This has been argued as parliamentary intention:

Baroness Deech (Crossbench)In the scientific field, the Bill confirms the wider use of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. That is good. I hope that your Lordships will be pleased that the deliberate choice of an embryo that is, for example, likely to be deaf will be prevented by Clause 14.

Previous government papers also point towards this motivation.

Our other concern lies in relation to Note 109:

Embryo Testing109. Clause 14(4) contains a provision that relates to the provisions on embryo testing (see note on clause 11). New sections 13(8) to (11) amend the 1990 Act to make it a condition of a treatment licence that embryos that are known to have an abnormality (including a gender-related abnormality) are not to be preferred to embryos not known to have such an abnormality. The same restriction is also applied to the selection of persons as gamete or embryo donors. This would prevent similar situations to cases, outside the UK, where positive selection of deaf donors in order deliberately to result in a deaf child have been reported.

Further information around our reasoning can be found in the official letter from the BDA [PDF].

A BSL translation of this letter: