I don't know exactly how comfortable I am with choosing all the characteristics of an embryo, but I do like the idea of selecting against inherited genetic diseases.
Elliottsmom, just to give you an idea about why some people do IVF, here is the story of my Dad, my stepmom and 3 of my siblings:
My dad and mom split when I was six after having 2 children, me and my sister Kelli. Originally, my dad only wanted 1 child, and my sister was a bit of an unexpected surprise 3 years later. To ensure there would be no more 'surprises' he had a vascectomy.
My parents divorced a few years later, and my father remarried. My stepmom realised after they had been married for a few years that she really, really wanted children. Preferably a biological child. I once found a letter (while I was snooping) that she wrote to him saying that if he was not interested in having children with her, she would have to leave him, even though she really loved him. She wanted children that badly!
My dad loved her so much, he tried to have his vascectomy reversed, but after 10 years, the little guys just couldn't make it on their own. So they enlisted a little help, in the form of fertility treatments and IVF. They had the $$$ and the drive to do it. After 2 failed attempts to implant an embryo, they were trying for one last time, and they put in 3 embryos. They all implanted and my stepmom carried 3 healthy babies to term.
My siblings, Bobby, Emily and Kennedy are turning 8 years old this summer and they bring more joy to the man who at 29 only wanted one child than he ever could have imagined. Now my Dad is 50, and has 2 fully grown children and 3 little kids. He's gonna be 60 before they're out of the house, but he doesn't regret it. Not even a little.
http://bringingyouohm.wordpress.com/
Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavanto
'May everyone everywhere be happy
May the whole world be joyous'