Genetic Choices: Prenatal genetic Testing
Technology not a days has progressed tremendously in the last few decades. When women got pregnant, there were not as many tests done back then than there are now. Expecting mothers now can see 3D/4D images of their unborn child and get genetic tests done to see if their child will have anything wrong with them. There are tests done now to see if a child will have down syndrome or tay-sachs, which they can now check 10-14 weeks, and doctors can now check to see if the unborn fetus is going to have diseases and disabilities before the child is even born. This is called prenatal genetic screening. It allows the doctors to take a small blood or tissue sample from the mother and doctors can then test for deformities, diseases, and mutations. Once the test results show that something is wrong with the unborn fetus, the mother then can decide if she wants to abort the child or not. There are many benefits to prenatal genetic testing, but at a certain point it becomes morally wrong to eliminate unborn babies because of their defects.
"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 ...
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Some fetuses are proven to have a genetic abnormality. There are many cases where the fetus is said to be born with unhealthy; down syndrome, cancer, disability, and many other uncommon cases. “An ultrasound report suggests about the physical development of the fetus. During the early months of pregnancy, many things can go wrong as a new baby starts developing. The cells are multiplying at a very fast rate that can cause some complex interactions between newly formed body parts. Such interactions may cause serious defect to the child and may also invite complications in pregnancy.” There are other tests such as amniocentesis, which are performed between 14 – 20 weeks. This test detects a variety of chromosomal abnormalities and genetic disorders. Women and their husbands should have the right to be able to decide whether they are capable of raising their children with serious conditions or not. It could be very tough financially, emotionally, and physically. Financially speaking if the child is mentally or physically ill, the parents would have to make a certain budget plan since they need extra care. Disabled kids take more time to be potty trained, and some unfortunately aren’t able at all so that would result in a life time budget of diapers. Others may require physical, speech, and occupational therapy. Some families aren’t able to afford
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For couples with previous knowledge of genetic disorders in their family and concerned parents, prenatal genetic testing is part of the regular pregnancy checkup. Making an appointment with a genetic counselor may seem strange or even frightening for some, still others view it a very common step being taken by many Americans today.
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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.
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Prenatal genetic screening in particular is a polarizing topic of discussion, more specifically, preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). PGD is one of the two techniques commonly used to genetically screen embryos in vitro; it is usually done at the eight-cell stage of division. PGD is most often performed when there is the risk that one or both parents carry disease-causing mutations. It is extensively used by high-risk individuals trying to conceive babes who will be free of particular mutations. PGD can test for over 50 genetic conditions and even allows for sex selection if there are underlying gender-associated medical conditions. When the results are satisfactory, the selected embryo is implanted into the mother’s uterus. While a controversial technique, preimplantation genetic diagnosis is one example of some of the good genetic testing can do, more benefits will be furthe...
Sherlock, Richard. "Bioethics." Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics. Ed. Carl Mitcham. Vol. 1. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 193-200. Student Resources in Context. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. source 23
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...