I believe Deb should get genetic testing done for a few reasons. First of all the test would allow Deb to prepare and start to limit a potential disease. In the story it states that "at some point Deb would like to know her Cancer risk." That statement leads me to believe she would like the test conducted at some point as that's one of the few ways she can find out her risk. I feel the bioethical principal that represents this situation is the respect for patients principle. It is entirely up to Deb if she wants to have the test completed and no one should try to influence her decision. I also like to think if a cancer gene is found in Deb she will start preparing be starting a possible treatment plan and also start financial planning for the disease as she will have to pay some money to have the …show more content…
As rough as it is to carry a cancerous gene having a test done early can not only limit the impact it may cause, but also allow Deb to plan for future children in which she may reconsider having due to a risk of passing this gene down. My final reason for why I believe Deb should be tested is so her sister and brother can also know if their sister has a risk of cancer they might as well. The story reads "Deb's sister and brother don't know if they want to know the results of a possible genetic test." A principle I feel Deb should follow at this point of the decision is the non male ficence principle. Even though Deb's brother and sister aren't for or against having Deb take the test they shouldn't harm her and hurt her for doing it. A scenario I feel that can happen is that Deb's sister and brother threaten to not stand by her and support her if she does have a genetic disease. To me that's harming Deb and is not letting her make the decision she wants. I believe no harm should be done to Deb for potentially taking the test. If Deb carries a cancerous gene, there is a significant chance her brother and sister carry it too as it's
Human Genetic Screening and Discrimination in Gattaca. Works Cited Missing A few months ago I watched a movie called Gattaca, which dealt with the issue of genetic discrimination in the near future. In the movie, people were separated into two classes, those that were genetically screened and positively altered before birth and the class that was unaltered. The separate classes had stark divisions, from what jobs that you were able to apply for to where you could eat. Security was aimed at keeping unaltered people away from the enhanced people.
The key thing that I learned from this story was that every pregnant women being given standard prenatal screening should be educated on certain genetic disease that she may have an increased risk of giving to her children. Each women should be told what each genetic test is, what they test for, and what they don't test for. It should not be assumed that they have any information on a genetic disorder unless it was stated otherwise prior to the screening. I learned that education is important because Emily thought that the chance of her child having Tay-Sachs was "infinitesimal" because she was not educated about how genetic diseases are inherited. Even though through this education the disease could not have been prevented it could have better
In Gattaca, the plot focuses on the ethics, the risks, and the emotional impact of genetic testing in the nearby future. The film was released in the 90s; yet in the present, the film does not give the impression of science fiction. Today, genetic testing is prevalent in many aspects of the scientific community. This paper will describe genetic testing, its purpose, diagnostic techniques that use genetic testing, relating Huntington’s disease to genetic testing, and the pros and cons of genetic testing.
An advantage of this test would give this couple a peace of mind to an understanding of this disease and the risks or chances of having a child with CF. If neither has the recessive gene they can proceed to have children with less of a fear or emotional turmoil than normal for parents. A disadvantage would produce more anxiety, stress, and fear if both tested positive for this gene. As a family health nurse I would help ease their emotions and may refer them to a genetic counselor who would explain further testing and alternatives that will help guide them to becoming
Genetic Screening comes with a lot of pros and cons. It's great for people who come from families with a common disease because there is a chance that genetic screening will inform them whether or not they have that disease. Unfortunately, the outcome is not 100% accurate. Therefore, the results aren't always necessarily true. Those who choose to go under the screening and receive great results are very lucky because they were saved from going through the difficult process of taming a disease. Those who go under the testing and do not receive good
The history of harmful eugenic practices, spurring from the Nazi implementations of discrimination towards biologically inferior people has given eugenics a negative stigma (1,Kitcher, 190). Genetic testing, as Kitcher sees it through a minimalistic perspective, should be restrained to aiding future children with extremely low qualities of life (2,Kitcher, 190). He believes that genetic engineering should only be used to avoid disease and illness serving the role of creating a healthier human race. He promotes laissez-faire eugenics, a “hands off” concept that corresponds to three components of eugenic practice, discrimination, coercion and division of traits. It holds the underlying works of genetic testing, accurate information, open access, and freedom of choice. Laissez-faire eugenics promises to enhance reproductive freedom preventing early child death due to genetic disease (3,Kitcher, 198). However there are dangers in Laissez-faire that Kitcher wants to avoid. The first is the historical tendency of population control, eugenics can go from avoiding suffering, to catering to a set of social values that will cause the practice of genetics to become prejudiced, insensitive and superficial. The second is that prenatal testing will become limited to the upper class, leaving the lower class with fewer options, creating biologically driven social barriers. Furthermore the decay of disability support systems due to prenatal testing can lead to an increased pressure to eliminate those unfit for society (4,Kitcher, 214).
If two parents get tested and find out that their child could have the disease, they could choose to get an abortion, which would be abusing the benefits of genetic testing. In the Jewish testing article it says “or they may choose to end the pregnancy” (Goldschmidt). In this case, taking the life of an unborn child due to genetic testing is an example of how genetic testing can be morally unsound. Also, if a cure is found for genetic testing, the treatments can be very harsh. In the Patients in Limbo article is says “every month for the first two years of her life” (Marcus). Although a cure was found, this child had to undergo extreme treatment in order to have the chance of being cured for the condition. As just a young child, depending on the type of treatment it is, this can be too extreme for such a young patient and can deteriorate the young ones body. In this situation, although genetic testing led to results, it also led to things that can cause pain and suffering, which is not what genetic testing should be used to
It seems wrong to push a kid into growing up knowing his or her life will be cut short by a disease, but there is nothing they can do about it. Lastly, however, there are some upsides that may help the child if testing is done.... ... middle of paper ... ... Works Cited Caga-anan, Carlisse F. "Testing Children for Adult-Onset Genetic Diseases.
The Human Genome Project is the largest scientific endeavor undertaken since the Manhattan Project, and, as with the Manhattan Project, the completion of the Human Genome Project has brought to surface many moral and ethical issues concerning the use of the knowledge gained from the project. Although genetic tests for certain diseases have been available for 15 years (Ridley, 1999), the completion of the Human Genome Project will certainly lead to an exponential increase in the number of genetic tests available. Therefore, before genetic testing becomes a routine part of a visit to a doctor's office, the two main questions at the heart of the controversy surrounding genetic testing must be addressed: When should genetic testing be used? And who should have access to the results of genetic tests? As I intend to show, genetic tests should only be used for treatable diseases, and individuals should have the freedom to decide who has access to their test results.
The desire to have a "normal" child is held by every parent and only now are we beginning to have the ability to select for that child. In preparation to receiving genetic testing, the parents are required to meet with a genetic counselor. A detailed description of the testing methods are reviewed with the couple as well as the risks which are involved with each. Upon an understanding of the procedures, the counselor discusses the many possible outcomes which could be the result of the diagnosis. Finally, before any tests are performed, anxieties from either of the parents are addressed as well as the psychological well-being of the parents.
The stress of genetic testing results, that may shorten your life or have no cure, will disrupt an individual physically and emotionally. Healthy people who carry the burden of having a life-threatening disease lack strong social support and coping skills. “The anxiety of living with the likelihood of one or more specific, chronic, debilitating disease create psychological burdens that outweigh the therapeutic potential of lifestyle changes or earlier treatment due to increased vigilance” (Kjono). Survivors guilt, or a mental condition experienced by those who have survived a catastrophic event that took the life of others’. For example, a brother or a sister who carry a gene alteration, like cancer, and one sibling has an increased potential for diagnosis, the other sibling will feel guilty for escaping the increased risk. Not only can a negative genetic testing result affect your well-being, but also your ability to obtain health and life insurance. “Genetic testing may permit a much more complete and refine...
After completing my family genogram, I was able to notice the history of a couple of patterns of fusion in particular. One of the relational patterns that stood out was emotional abuse which for the sake of this assignment I have only traced it back three generations, starting with my paternal grandfather Marciano, who endured the aftermath of the WWII and who conceived out of wedlock (COW) from Spanish and Mestizo parents and who married a woman Fidelina, of Chinese and Indian origin, born in El Salvador like him. Based on anecdotal accounts, Marciano was particularly emotionally abusive towards Rosa, my mother, who is also the first born of the couple and COW. Marciano had very high standards of beauty and intellect, which often triggered name calling, insults, and other forms of humiliation aimed towards my mother, causing her to feel belittled and resent his treatment towards her.
...to get his entire genome mapped out and was prescribed a medicine that help him to live fifteen more months. The risk of genetic testing is the patient finds out when they are going to die and it is nothing that he or she can do. Taking into account a person who finds out that they will have pancreatic cancer, most of the time people with pancreatic cancer die.
(2) Even people that don 't have any disease could be more prepare, and prevent it from developing in the future by being more aware thanks to the genetic test provided. Genetic screening is another valuable technology that could help a parent keep track of their baby 's health by examining their chromosomes. Genetic testing and screening could impact the life all patients in a positive way, therefore the opposing side should be grateful, and take advantage of this opportunities provided. For example, a person goes to genetically test themselves in a clinic, and they come to find out that they could potentially develop heart problems in the future. Now they can be more aware, and prepared. They could in many different ways like changing their diet or exercising more so they could better protect their heart, and decrease the chances of having the heart problems, like they where presented in the genetic test. What if the person didn 't know they had a chance to have problems? and start eating unhealthy foods that could likely speed up their changes of developing a heart disease. My point is that the same thing goes to those parent who want to get a update of their unborn child 's health. Many healthy mother don 't really expect that their pregnancy will bring some implications, but in
Genetic testing can help people determine why they get cancer or other diseases. Genetic testing is recommended to people who have a family history of a genetic disease, have children who are born with genetic defects, and have gone through more than one miscarriage in the past. Though these te...