Ethical Dilemmas In Genetic Testing Essay

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Ethical Dilemmas of Genetic Testing Genetic testing has rapidly become a major controversial topic in society. Genetic testing presents itself with many positive and negative attributions in the field of medicine, and should be thoroughly discussed before one should take a stance on it or when deciding on whether to have this test. The ethical dilemmas that arise from this test are not primarily focused on what the test entails, but are centered on the actions of the person of autonomy after receiving their results. This topic has two equally supported sides; however, an appropriate and just stance cannot be formed until all the facts and support have been reviewed. Genetic testing is a field of testing intended to gather critical information …show more content…

After the discovery of the chromosomal basis for genetic disorders, subsequent findings occurred quickly. Through a procedure known as amniocentesis, chromosomes could be extracted from amniotic fluid of a pregnant woman’s uterus and examined. In 1990, Mary-Claire King was credited with finding a strongly hereditary form of breast cancer. Similar genes to the ones found by Mary-Claire King were found to form a colorectal cancer shortly after her discovery. Genetic material carrying mutations have been found to code for diseases of dementia and specific cardiovascular diseases. This field of testing has continued to expand. As of today, any fetal anomaly whose genetic basis are known can be detected from a sample of amniotic fluid. Genetic testing began as an attempt to answer questions regarding the unknown causes of diseases expressed by the genetic makeup of the person carrying the disease. The theory was that once these questions were revealed ways to prevent, treat, or cure these genetically encoded diseases would present themselves. However, these questions have yet to be fully answered. Due to constraints in the information provided by these tests, an ethical dilemma was born. The testing fell short of its manifest destiny, and did not provide answers to treating all the disease caused by genetic makeup. Instead of giving answers on how to overcome all the genetically-borne diseases, the test can only inform participants of the inevitable – if accurate. (Nancy

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