The Pros of Prenatal Genetic Testing

Approximately 120,000 babies are born each year with a genetic disease or major genetic birth defect ("Inherited Disorders and Birth Defects"). It is 2014 and our generation still has thousands of babies with genetic diseases born each year and that isn’t right. These diseases range from phenylketonuria, a genetic disorder that causes mental retardation if left untreated, to congenital heart disease which has a 51 percent mortality rate in infants with the condition ("Mortality Associated...”). One of the solutions that scientists are working on to this problem is preimplantation genetic diagnosis. Barlow-Stewart says, “preimplantation genetic diagnosis works through in-vitro fertilization, which involves removing egg cells from a woman’s ovaries and fertilizing them with sperm cells outside the body.” To complete the test, a small number of cells are taken from these embryos and tested for certain genetic changes. Only embryos without these changes are implanted in the uterus to initiate a pregnancy ("What are the types of genetic tests?”). The technology to perform preimplantation genetic diagnosis has been worked on for years, but is finally becoming a reality. Many people think that this technique is unethical because you are playing the hand of God, and killing humans. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis and prenatal engineering are viable options for the future of preventing genetic diseases in embryos because they are safe, ethical, and beneficial to advancing society.

Prenatal Diagnostic Tests and the Social, Legal, and Ethical Implications Introduction Jackie and Michael are expecting their first baby. Jackie is 32 years old and is in good health. She is 15 weeks pregnant and wants to do everything possible to ensure a healthy baby. Even though they do not have risk factors within their families, she and Michael decide to have an amniocentesis. The results indicate that their baby is a female with Turner Syndrome.

Genetic testing has become a highly controversial issue among both the general population and the scientific community. It is a process that exposes a person’s entire genome sequence, allowing it to be read and evaluated to identify potential risks for genetic diseases or diseases that could be passed onto offspring (Holt Productions, 2012). With thousands of genetic tests already being used, and more being established, it seems logical to put this growing technology to use. Some agree that it is a person’s right to know and understand his or her genetic makeup. However, others argue that, despite the benefits of genetic testing, caution should be used to carefully inspect the risks associated with this new technology.

In a survey of 999 people who sought genetic counseling conducted by Feighanne Hathaway, M.S., of New York University Langone Medical Center, and colleagues, “Most were eager for a wider spectrum of prenatal genetic tests -- as long as they were for disease” (Smith).

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 chapter four of her book Genetic Dilemmas, Dena Davis asserts that it is unethical for parents to subject their children to genetic testing for the markers of adult-onset genetic diseases because it places an unfair constraint on a child’s right to an open future. It both removes the child’s ability to choose whether to be tested as an adult and has the potential to negatively alter the overall trajectory of their lives. While the current consensus amongst medical professionals is that such testing should be prohibited (Davis, _____), many concerned parents correctly point out that discouraging such testing creates a conflict of interests between the “beneficence model of patient care and the rights of parents to their own autonomy” (Davis, 75). The availability of commercial online and mail-order genetic testing kits further exacerbates this dilemma by enabling these dissenting parents to obtain test results for their children. Davis ultimately makes a convincing argument that “parental requests for genetic information about their children, when they have no immediate relevance to medical intervention or disease prevention, should generally be resisted” (Davis, 87). This paper seeks to demonstrate that in the case of testing for incurable, late onset genetic diseases, protecting the rights and interests of the child should take precedence over parental autonomy, and that there is a marked need for tighter regulation of commercial genetic testing in order to protect these rights.

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.

The human genome consists of all the genes that make up the master blue print for building a human being. There are about one hundred thousand genes concealed inside of the nucleus of each cell. The genes are tangled inside of an elongated genetic structure that is called the chromosome. Mapping and eventually decoding the human genome will enable us to provide strategies to diagnose and possibly prevent different genetic diseases, and disorders. Eventually, we may even unravel the mysteries of human embryonic development, as well as gain insights into our evolutionary past. The initial effort in this direction was started by the government under the name of The Human Genome Project, however, it didn't take long for private ventures to take root. Both spectrums of research have been making great strides. However, there has been a great deal of competition between the two, in a time when cooperation is of outmost importance. The availability of prenatal testing, and other genetic screening procedures that are already possible raise important and often controversial issues about the implications of the Human Genome Project and its parallel efforts. Genetics has been compared to the Eugenics movement of the 1920's, which eventually led to Hitler's genocide and concentration camps. Most would agree that this is a far off comparison, but no one is brave enough to deny the fact that genetic information is of extremely sensitive nature, and if misused could be detrimental to our society. It is a general fear that genetic testing will be over used, and will turn our society into a Brave New World, where humans will be genetically engineered to be stronger, faster and smarter; there will be no room for people who lie outside the ...

Genetic testing has been a very controversial topic. While some people believe that genetic testing is completely right in any situation, others believe that it is completely wrong in any situation. However, both sides prove valid points of why genetic testing is both right and wrong. Genetic testing can be very good when it is being used for helpful reasons. However, genetic testing can also be very bad when it is used for the wrong reasons. Genetic testing is okay to do as long as it is being done for the right reasons and following good moral guidelines.

Some proposed actions could be set in place to solve and control this socio-scientific issue. I am against the use of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis due to the fact that it discriminates people who have genetic disorders or abnormalities and also has the potential to discriminate those who cannot afford it and are known with the group that holds that disability. Therefore I think in order to reduce discrimination against those with the disorders is to ban pre-implantation genetic diagnosis all together. Although this would mean that children will still be affected by genetic disorders and chromosomal abnormalities but are being given a fair chance and are treated equally. To prevent the lower classed groups from being discriminated against,