Genetic Testing Argumentative Essay

Neurobiologist, John Roder, kept his secret from his co-workers for several years (Scrivener). Roder has Huntington’s disease, a rare, incurable, inherited disorder. He decided not to get tested for the disease but his daughter, Jessica Robertson, did. Robertson was tested for Huntington’s when she was thirty-two years old, her results were negative. She decided to get tested because she wanted children. Before getting tested, Jessica and her father stated that not knowing the future was motivating and reminded them to live in the moment. They didn’t want the disease to control their lives. Although many parents may disagree, the ASHG’s policy on genetic testing is the best decision because the child should have a say whether or not they want to be tested.
In order to be genetically tested for Huntington's disease one must go through presymptomatic testing (Huntington's Tests). The first test is a neurological examination. During the neurological examination, a neurologist will ask an individual questions and may conduct simple tests that evaluate one's motor and sensory skills as well

The genetic counselor will go over the benefits and drawbacks of having a predictive test done and will answer any questions one might have about the disease (Genetic Testing). An individual will talk to a genetic counselor before and after the genetic test. The genetic test is just a simple blood test. The results have no treatment benefit and it does not indicate when the disease onset will begin or what symptoms will appear if they were to be positive. An estimated 120,000 people are at risk for Huntington's disease in the US. Of the at-risk adults, only 5-7% have been tested (Myers). Test results take approximately twenty-eight days to receive. Test results for Huntington’s disease are 98-99% accurate, so there is an extremely rare chance that they would be wrong