Persuasive Essay On Genetic Testing

740 Words2 Pages

In recent years, genetic testing has become a popular topic in the media. Usually involving cheek swabs, blood samples, or amniotic fluid samples, the procedure is relatively simple and can help diagnose genetic disorders, determine ideal medication types, or simply determine the patient’s heritage. It has saved many lives from cancer and other afflictions, but to say that genetic testing is always the correct choice is false. There are many issues with the tests, considering that they are new to the medical world. Genetic testing is mostly harmful because of privacy concerns, how underdeveloped it is, and the risk of it pushing a mother to abort her child. In today’s world, nothing is private; not even personal genetic information. Results from genetic testing can be accessed by employers and insurance companies. Until the Genetic Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) was passed in 2008, employers could deny people jobs and insurance companies could raise their rates solely based a person’s genetic makeup, even if someone is …show more content…

Technology is available to identify disorders such as Down Syndrome, although these tests are only accurate about 60% of the time. It seems strange that people rely on tests like this before they even see the child and can know for sure if they have any disorders. Imagine testing a fetus for complications in their genome and receiving positive results, only to find out after birth that nothing is wrong. Upon finding out that their child is probably affected by a disorder, some mothers would abort the child in this situation. This issue resonates well with pro-life citizens, who say a child should never be aborted. Some with the opposing belief would say that abortion in this case is acceptable. Abortion should never be performed if this is the only reason for doing so. If the mother wanted to have a child in the first place, she should follow through with her

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