The Pros And Cons Of Genetic Screening

Genetic screening, also known as genetic or genomic testing, has become a controversial method of discovering genetic mutations, anomalies, or differences that are pathological. According to a study conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University, 77 percent of Americans believe that genetic testing should be made accessible to the general public (Funk, Huff). Genetic testing, while a popular option for predicting the outcomes of genetics, has ethical implications related to prenatal diagnosis, predictive testing, and carrier testing.

Due to its nature, genomic testing is often used for prenatal diagnosis of disease (Glenn). Most parents desire a physically and mentally healthy newborn. However, genomic testing would open a gateway for parents to know if the child will be healthy while still in the phases of in vitro

This is the analysis of genes already present inside an individual human being in order to pinpoint mutations that may lead to disease. This type of screening is performed before the person has developed symptoms (presymptomatic testing). Some notable genes/proteins/mutations that can found during predictive testing are: BRCA1, BRCA2, HLA-B27, and CAG trinucleotide repeat in HTT. Predictive testing may have ethical ramifications as well, which include being denied health insurance based on pre-existing risk factors and discrimination from future employers and society. Conditions that are likely to develop would cost insurance providers millions of dollars a year, even when preventative measures are taken. The cost for one preventative surgery for breast cancer, a bilateral prophylactic mastectomy costs 15,000-50,000 dollars, and insurance companies that cover preventative measures pay a large portion of that (Briody). Employers would also have to find ways to accommodate these high-risk factor diseases in the workplace, as well as find insurance that would cover the high-risk