Genetic diseases are known to be some of the worst conditions a person can be afflicted by, especially because most of the time there is nothing a person can do to avoid them. Genetic diseases are caused by a mutation in some portion of a person’s gene that causes a problem with cell transcription and translation. Some of these issues are very minor, while some can be extremely catastrophic to the afflicted and their family, it all depends on the location and type of mutation. One aspect of genetic disease that makes them unique is that it is possible for a person to be tested for them, often times long before they ever experience any symptoms of the disease. This begs the questions of the morals behind being able to take a test and see if a genetic disease will afflict you during your lifetime. It is morally …show more content…
One well-known disease that falls into this category is called Huntington’s disease, which is caused by a mutation on a person’s Huntingtin gene. This disease is present in a person’s body from birth, but it is typically dormant for a long period of time. The onset of Huntington’s disease is usually around age 40, well into an individual’s life, which makes it a perfect example of why genetic testing is important. This is a neurodegenerative disorder that, once onset, slowly causes a person’s brain and motor function to degenerate until the affected person becomes paralyzed and dies. Huntington’s disease has an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance, which means that a person only needs to acquire one copy of the gene from a parent for inheritance. Once a person inherits this mutation, there is nothing medically that can be done to prevent the person from succumbing to the disease (Ross, 2007). In this case, there is a 50% chance for the child of a person who has Huntington’s disease to also inherit the