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The Pros And Cons Of Genetic Counseling

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Genetics is a very wide world that tells us so many different things each time we use it from medicine to agriculture. However now we are going to focus on the ones that are relevant to the genetic counseling which has been continuously complicated in the people’s minds: protecting ourselves from some genetically risky diseases or creating several plans for the prevention & retardation of inevitable conditions. Genetic counseling is defined as a branch of genetics that deals with the “human problems associated with the occurence, or the risk of occurence of a genetic disorder in the family” (Heller, 2005), but is this the only thing genetic counseling does? Genetic counseling – as apparently its name implies– is done successfully with the coordination …show more content…

It seems pretty easy, but still there are some complications. DTC test kits have the potential of being uninformative or indeterminate, being utilized inappropriately, giving results that can cause misinterpretation and lack of necessary follow-up. Moreover, she may be misled by the results of unproven or invalid tests and could make important decisions about treatment or prevention based on inaccurate, incomplete, or misunderstood information about her genetic health (Marietta and McGuire, 2009). On the other hand, she has a few personal rights as a consumer. Research shows that members of the public are concerned about their genetic privacy and worry about being discriminated against because of their genetic susceptibility to disease (Hall et al, 2005). Even though there are strict laws about the punishment of discriminating people according to their genetic information, the implementation of it is at issue. Also, we don’t know how much privacy these companies provide to their consumers, how much we are safe. Therefore, in our case, she might be enthusiastic to have the results secretly, but she has to reconsider all the potential harms and risks of DTC genetic …show more content…

Firstly, the genetic counselor will determine what benefits can be gained from performing a genetic test before ordering it (Marietta& McGuire, 2009). Then, she will safely go through a process in which she will be informed carefully by the proven and valid test results. Afterwards, the genetic counselor will interpret the results and guide her to take necessary precautions if the results are positive, which is what we want as the consumers. The most important thing in this process is to get correct and beneficial information from a medical professional in that specific field, since the problem of unreliable and uninformative information is

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I agree. In some cases, knowing that you have a mutation and will be affected with the disease could be very emotional for an individual. One never knows how they will respond to the result and pretesting counseling may not fully prepare the individual for the result. One question that has been raised is should genetic counseling be allowed for diseases that are not treatable? It is thought that if an individual knows they will develop a condition that has no treatment it could cause psychological harm, stigmatization, and possible discrimination.

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857 Words | 4 Pages

In chapter seven of Genetic Turning Points by James Peterson, the topic of genetic counselors is discussed in terms of their role in the genetic testing process. In my ethical opinion, genetic counselors are a necessary component of the genetic testing process. Without them, ethical lines are more likely to be crossed as I believe more patients would undergo genetic testing without fully understanding what he/ she is giving their consent for and also receive unrequested results. Additionally, I believe that the absence of genetic counselors leads to patients being pressured into receiving tests he/she did not want or ask to take. , and receive unrequested results as well.

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• The technology of designer babies is bliss for the couples who are unable to have children because they do not their genetic disease which they have. Through the process of pre implantation genetic diagnosis the embryos are scanned for genetic diseases and if found that it has inherited genetic disease the genetic makeup of the baby is changed so that the child could be born disease free. PGD can screen for about a dozen of the most serious genetic diseases including: cystic fibrosis, Tay Sachs, various familial cancers, early onset Alzheimer’s, sickle cell disease, haemophilia, neurofibromatosis, muscular dystrophy, and Franconia’s anaemia. With further testing of the human genome it is said that nearly all of the genetic diseases could

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This is one of the most important guiding questions in my journey to explore deeper into the thoughts of genetic testing and how it ties together what possible effects it can have on human lives. I initially thought, if someone were to get genetically tested, they could find exactly what disease they have and how they could cure it. However, that not the case. As I was watching the documentary Cracking your Genetic Code, they discussed how genetic diseases can be very hard to diagnose if that alteration in a person's genes has not yet been found in previous patients. By analyzing many different people, doctors were able to find the breast cancer mutation.

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Journeys can range from going to the refrigerator for a late-night snack or as far as traveling the world. The excerpt from Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life written by Wendy Mass shows 2 friends traveling the city to open a box. The poem “Where the Sidewalk Ends” written by Shel Silverstein describes the “place where the sidewalk ends” and the journey you take. Both Wendy Mass and Shel Silverstein convey a common message of how it is important to value the journey you take using repetition and metaphors. Both sources use repetition to emphasize their messages.

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Lerner, A. W. of Biotechnology. Detroit: Gale. argues that “Common public perception is that genetic screening and modification of human embryos is used to ensure offspring free of disease and composed of more desirable traits. ”(Lerner, 2012).

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The balance of misuse of and values of information lies in these murky issues. Because the ethical costs for prenatal genetic testing is high, doctors should have patients start out with the least risky tests first to test pregnancies,

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Julian Savulescu illustrates the ethics of genetic enhancements by focusing on a means of helping people, who are naturally limited in life, to live a longer and/or better life than normal through genetic enhancement. First, he offers three arguments in favor of genetically enhancing human beings; those being to choose not to enhance is wrong for our children’s betterment, biological interventions are no different than genetic interventions, and there is no difference between genetic enhancement and treating a disease. Then, he continues to justify how we should indicate what qualities in our genes should be decided to enhance. Throughout this section, the author exemplifies different methods of how humans have decided on this, such as pre-modern and modern eugenics, and the Nazis. Additionally, the author argues that genetic enhancement should be a part of the principle of procreative

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M6D1 Ethics and Genetic Testing As we all can agree, our genes play a highly important role in making us who we are as humans. If the information produce by genes is normal than everything can turn out normal and infants can be born healthy. There are those incidents the genetic information produce by genes is wrong and results of this information can lead to injury, disease, and/or illness of the fetus (Munson, 2012).

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The medical field constantly changes and improves with new technology invented everyday. One newer test that has been discovered in recent decades includes a test known as prenatal genetic testing. This type of testing refers to the ways one may discover whether their child obtained birth defects or inherited illnesses before or during pregnancy if parents show concern (Cooper, 2013, p. 1). Like many advancements in the medical field, controversy broke out regarding the consequences and messages prenatal genetic testing sends, with several arguing it promotes abortion and “sends the message that the lives of people with mental and physical disabilities are not worth living” (Painter, 1997, p. 1). Unfortunately, genetic testing receives backlash

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Gattaca shows many times that genetic testing can be beneficial and has completely taken over society but at the same time provides many hardships like discrimination against certain ranks of

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1584 Words | 7 Pages

Most of the genetic testing today is done by private companies. These companies do not use doctors to read the results. Therefore, the tests may not be read correctly. These companies are creating a false sense of hope and panic in patients. A person who takes a genetic test for a type of cancer and receives a negative result may develop a false sense of security and forgo cancer screenings in the future (“Genetic Testing”).

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1584 Words | 7 Pages

Therefore, if two parents are carriers of a certain gene that will disable their child, they can modify that gene to make a child that will not have that disability. As well as some parents will have designer babies to save another child they already have with a certain disease. In this method, parents will choose their child’s blood type and such in order for them to match that other diseased child and potentially give them their blood, marrow, and even organs. Genetically modifying a child’s chance of disease ensures that a child may live a life without potential disease and disability that they may have been more prone to had their parents’ not used this method. This also ensures a healthy life for a child that had a greater potential of having a medical condition due to their parents being carriers of that particular gene.

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Genetic Counseling For millions of years, the fate of humans has been in the hands of gods, but now I fear we are powerful and smart enough to change everything through science. But the real question is, just because we can, should we? The first genetic counseling clinic was established in 1940, and though technology has not yet been advanced as today, we worked our way up to more accurate predictions (“Genetic counseling services,” 2018). Genetic counseling is when parents are told what diseases or birth defects their child will or could have but what they can do with this information is in the hands of the parents.

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1785 Words | 8 Pages

Some argue that it is against Christianity. Nonetheless, holy books does not have an explicitly written text about genetic screening. The arguments are only constructed from implications of the holy texts. As the holy texts might hold many different meanings, who can know for sure, if genetic screening is just or unjust way? As this topic is very complicated dilemma and needs a further debates to come to a common consensus, one should consider two outcomes: when it is morally accepted and when it is condemned as unethical thing to do.

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