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ethical dilemmas with genetic testing
negative effects of genetic testing
ethical dilemmas with genetic testing
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People might have different reasons for genetic testing. For some people it may be important to know if they will be diagnosed with a disease in a future or not, some may want to know whether the disease could be prevented or treated. Genetic testing is a type of medical test that can identify changes in chromosomes, genes, or proteins. The result of this test can tell the person's chance of developing any genetic disorder. Some cases the cause of the illness could be unknown to the physician. Genetic testing will also help them to determine the cause of the disease and the possible cure.
There are different techniques being used on adults for genetic testing .The most common technique is, blood sample it is mostly used in adults for source of DNA. Blood samples are the most common method for genetic testing. The genesis will put the patient in a select group where all the people in that group had their genome read out by chemical letters. To start this process a nurse will first draw the patient blood, and the sample will be sent to the company name Illumina. They will process the blood and extract its genetic materials. Proteins and fats are washed away, and fibers clump together. The purpose of this process is to access the persons DNA, those fibers are DNA. The DNA will be sheered into fragments to get its sequence. DNA contains chemical known by their first letters, A T C and G. Mutation or damaged genome trace the what kind of disease the person have. After sequencing the decoded genome, the genesis must figure out what it all means, they compare the patient’s genome with thousands of others, mainly by the reference genome. If the genome is different, then it could mean that the change is unique to the patient. Other techn...
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...e. It can help us to take control of our own future. The relief from negative test result could eliminate any need for regular checkups especially for people with cancer history in their family. Positive test result can direct a person towards possible treatments, monitoring or even prevention. There are certain diseases that the doctors do not know what it is or the treatment for it, doctors turn to genetic to find the cause and cure for it and save the patient’s life.
Genetic home reference. (2013). what are the risks and limitations of genetic testing. Retrieved from http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/testing/riskslimitations
National heart, lung, and blood institute. (2011). What is cystic fibrosis? Retrieved from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/cf/ University of Utah. (2013). Cystic Fibrosis. Retrieved from http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/
Genetic testing can be best described as obtaining a sample of blood or tissue from a patient and running this DNA sample in the laboratory to...
Gene testing is the practice of testing individuals who show no symptoms to determine whether they carry genes that could cause them or their children to develop certain genetic diseases later in life. Gene screening is a very controversial topic because of the risks that come with it. Would you want to know if you’ll develop a life threatening disease later in life? Many individuals would want to know this, but some would not. Personally, I think gene testing is ethical under certain conditions.
There are several types of genetic tests that can give us a broad amount of information about ourselves, our parents and/or children (What is testing?). Personally, I see advantages and disadvantages to it. Anyone is able to find the probability of them having a disorder or disease and start dealing with before it gets to a lethal stage. For women, it is reassuring to know whether a disorder that they possess can be passed on to their children or not. They can also know whether their child is healthy or not before it is even born. It also impacts on how scientists deal with diseases since they are given a different output of the disease at its early stages and allows them to study it until a cure is found. But what happens when your private information goes public? People will be treated differently because of a high risk of having a cancer in the future. In your CV, your past experiences and your qualities will be accompanied by your genetics test results that inform the company whether you will be a risk to them in the future. A new kind of discrimination will be created in our society. A second major disadvantage to genetic testing is people using it for “superficial” purposes like changing children’s eye colors and other biological characteristics that should not be changes. Above the disadvantages are the benefits which are why I am all for the genetic testing for health-related purposes.
Genetic testing is an area that has had significant advancement over the past few years. Genetic testing can provide important information regarding diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of illness or disease (Mayo Clinic, 2015). There has been progress recently with genetic testing within oncology and it has become an accepted standard of oncologic care (Robson, Storm, Weitzel, Wollins, & Offit, 2010 February 10).
Testing of one kind or another has always been very common in the job application process, whether it’s the testing of one’s skill sets through an application or drug testing. Now, through scientific advances of the Human Genome Project, a new type of testing has become available to employers: genetic testing. This new sort of testing would detect any genetic problems in a potential employee’s DNA, including genetic predisposition for disease and possible health concerns in the future. Genetic testing could be beneficial to companies monetarily, as it would be a way to screen their employees for long term, damaging factors which could be expensive for the company. The legal right to do so, however, is a controversial issue in the business world. Many people regard it as an invasion of privacy, an open invitation for bias in hiring pools, and a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (French). Genetic testing could be used in both the hiring process, and as an attempt for companies to cater to their employees’ needs. It could also, however, be used as a tool of discrimination against those with minor or major genetic abnormalities. Many ethical issues are raised: does a person have a right to anonymity in their DNA? Should employers discriminate against those with genetic problems, a factor out of the subject’s control? These disputes and more are what make genetic testing in the workplace a contentious topic today. Unless an act, such as the Genetic Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance and Employment Act, is passed, discrimination will run rampant through the job market, injuring the modern employee in the process. Despite the quantity of information about employees that could be retriev...
It is patients’ right to opt for genetic testing on their own DNA, although they are accepting a great risk by doing so. DNA is unique to each individual, present in each individual since conception, and influences who each individual is, so the information contained within it belongs to each patient, despite the risks. Such risks include DNA testing services providing results to potential employers or insurers, who can make decisions at the disadvantage of the patients if high disease probabilities are discovered. The results can also cause patients to react emotionally poorly and make negative changes to their lifestyles. Although risky, patients deserve the rights to take these risks if they choose to do so.
Genetic screening can be used to refer to any activity that locates or advises people about genetically connected diseases. The first large-scale genetic screening project began in the 1960's with the Guthrie test which tests infants for PKU (phenylketonuria) (Munson, 1996). Currently with the advances being made by the Human Genome project we are achieving a much more detailed understanding of the relationship between specific genes and diseases. Approximately nine hundred gene or gene markers have been linked to diseases (Munson, 1996). With all of the new information about our genes, the ability to develop tests to screen for these genes is becoming possible for a much larger number of diseases. Some of the current DNA tests available diagnose Adult polycystic kidney disease, Alpha-1-Antitrypsin deficiency, familial adenomatous polyposis, hemophilia, Huntington's disease, myotonic dystrophy, and familial breast cancer susceptibility (Munson, 1996). Many more tests are well on the way to being developed. With the possibility o...
Its no accident that off-spring resemble their parents. Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA, located within each cell nucleus is a special chemical, that determines our genetic inheritance in a very orderly way. Under the microscope DNA looks like a mass of tangled threads which consist of tiny subunits called genes. Genes carry instructions, sometimes called the blueprint of life, for various characters like hair color, height, eye color. Our genes are received from both mother and father, half from each. Genes instruct our bodies to make proteins - which determines the shape and function of each cell. Each gene controls the production of a particular protein. Genes produce millions of different proteins through different arrangements of just four simple molecules the nucleotides - adenine (A), cytosine (C), thymine (T), and guanine (G). These A,C,T and G's are like letters of the alphabet - their order "spells" out the language of life.
"Prenatal genetic testing is checking for genetic disorders by looking for changes in a person's DNA" (Childress 519). Doctors take a small blood or tissue sample from a patient and they can test for genetic mutations that could possibly show up in their child. For testing for prenatal genetics, the doctor or mother wants to "determine if a fetus has genetic abnormalities likely to cause physical or mental impairments" (520 Vaughn ). If a mother is over the age of 35, the odds of her having a child with down syndrome is greater than a mother who is in her 20's. Genetic testing is also performed when there are inherited genetic disorders in the family history or ...
The discovery of DNA had opened up many opportunities in the field of genetics. By analysis a DNA of an individual, we are able to diagnose diseases that are hereditary at an early stage. Genetic diseases are diseases that arise from one or more abnormalities in a genotype (or genotypes) (Elston, 311). Genetic diseases such as sickle cell anemia and Down syndrome could not only just be detected, but predicted from the parents. Parents could be potential carriers, although not affected by the genetic disease, but still carry the gene of the disease, and could potentially pass it down to their children (Watson, 335). Through genetic testing, we could detect flaws in our genes that may potentially be passed down to our future generations and take the necessary precautions to minimize the impact of the genetic diseases, or optimally, removing the risk of having the disease completely.
In today’s world, people are learning a great deal in the rapidly growing and developing fields of science and technology. Almost each day, an individual can see or hear about new discoveries and advances in these fields of study. One science that is rapidly progressing is genetic testing; a valuable science that promotes prevention efforts for genetically susceptible people and provides new strategies for disease management. Unnaturally, and morally wrong, genetic testing is a controversial science that manipulates human ethics. Although genetic testing has enormous advantages, the uncertainties of genetic testing will depreciate our quality of life, and thereby result in psychological burden, discrimination, and abortion.
Genetic testing is the process of sequencing six billion letters of a human genome to possibly discover genetic differences, such as how cells carry the same genome but at the same time look and function different. Genetic testing is also the process that can give foresight into pathological diseases such as different types of cancer.
First, let's consider the situations in which genetic testing would be beneficial to patients. Genetic testing for diseases that are preventable or treatable could allow individuals to alter their lifestyles so as to treat the disease or reduce their risk of developing the disease. For instance, the E2 version of the APOE gene, which is found on chromosome 19, has been linked to heart disease (Ridley, 1999). Individuals who have two copies of the E2 gene are particularly sensitive to high-fat and high-cholesterol diets. Therefore, a genetic test to determine whether a person has the high-risk version of the APOE gene could inform a person of future health risks, thereby allowing the person to change his diet to help prev...
Genetic testing, also known as screening, is a rapidly advancing new scientific field that can potentially revolutionize not only the world of medicine, but many aspects of our lives. Genetic screening is the sequencing of human DNA in order to discover genetic differences, anomalies, or mutations that may prove pathological. As genetic screening becomes more advanced and easily accessible, it presents society with difficult questions that must be asked about the boundaries of science and to what degree we are allowed to tamper with the human genome. To better understand the potential impact of genetic screening on our society, we must examine the potential benefits in comparison to the possible negative impact it may cause. With this knowledge in hand, we can examine what the future holds for this field of study and the best possible direction to take.
Genetic testing is a type of medical test that identifies the changes in chromosomes, genes, or proteins. The results of a genetic test can confirm or rule out a genetic condition and if it can be passed on. I feel that genetic testing’s pros outweigh the cons. The physical risks of the genetic testing are very small. A positive result of genetic testing can help a person maintain prevention, and treatment options. Some test results can also help people make decisions about having children. Newborn genetic screenings can help identify genetic disorders early in life so treatment can be started as early as possible so that the unwanted gene will not pass on.