Christopher Brasher investigates the new advances in medicine and the terrifying problems, moral, legal, and economic, which they pose.

Every thirty-three seconds a baby is born in Britain. The vast majority of these babies are unlikely to pose any problems of conscience or ethics for the doctors. But what about the abnormal baby, and there is at least one abnormal baby born every hour? How hard should the doctors strive to save its life? Often the doctor has to take a God-like decision which means life or death for that child. Tonight's programme investigates the doctor's attitude to these problems and reports on the new advances which bring hope to parents.
(The first of three programmes)