Genetic Testing Essay

   The Human Genome Project is the largest scientific endeavor undertaken since the Manhattan Project, and, as with the Manhattan Project, the completion of the Human Genome Project has brought to surface many moral and ethical issues concerning the use of the knowledge gained from the project. Although genetic tests for certain diseases have been available for 15 years (Ridley, 1999), the completion of the Human Genome Project will certainly lead to an exponential increase in the number of genetic tests available. Therefore, before genetic testing becomes a routine part of a visit to a doctor's office, the two main questions at the heart of the controversy surrounding genetic testing must be

I think that everybody should do a genetic test at a very early age in order to know what is going on with their genes. Even if a genetic test is positive, a genetic counselor, doctor, or other health care professional trained in genetics can help an individual or family understand their test results. These professionals can also help explain the incidental findings that a test may yield, such as a genetic risk factor for a disease that is unrelated to the reason for administering the test, so they can clarify the implications of test results for other family members. Doing a genetic test is crucial because on an expanded panel, certain cancer can be entirely reversed with an early intervention like dietary

Another big benefit of testing is the ability to know in advance the health of a baby. It is no longer necessary for parents to be to have to worry about the health of their child. The technology is there to know in advance. Some people have major health problems in their family. This testing could make it possible for them to give birth to healthy long living children. The whole point of prenatal genetic testing is to improve life through good health. There are enough things

As you can see genetic testing is very important and can affect a child's and parents lives for the better and the worst. Children all over the world have serious genetic diseases that affect their life on a daily. Some of these diseases are Achondroplasia, Down syndrome, and Turner's syndrome. Many believe genetic testing is a good way to test for these genetic conditions before the child is even born, but others think that it can harm the baby very badly and even cause a miscarriage, so they choose not to do this kind of testing. Knowing about the most serious genetic diseases is very important for expecting parents to be informed as well as being

When used in healthcare, genetic testing can show the genetic cause of a disease, confirm a suspected diagnosis of an illness, predict future illnesses, and predict responses to

Genetic testing identifies changes in ones genes and chromosomes. These changes often lead to diagnoses of conditions, disorders, or diseases. Through testing, “one can confirm or rule out a suspected genetic condition or help determine a person’s chance of developing or

Genetic testing, can affect a person’s life in many ways. Genetic testing is a type of medical testing that identifies changes that occur in chromosomes, proteins, and genes. These changes that occur can be associated, and often are associated with inherited

Embryonic screening allows for the elimination of inherited diseases before birth or a treatment plan before birth. In breast cancer patients, genetic testing allows the physician to know if chemotherapy is necessary, which would expand treatment options. Genetic testing could eliminate years of experimental testing and medication use used to diagnose a new disease. Overall, genetic testing is in alignment with the core medical philosophy that early prevention leads to early treatment, which leads to an overall better outcome for the patient.

These results may also help doctors make recommendations for treatment or monitoring, and give people more information for making decisions about their and their family's health, allowing them to take steps to lower his/her chance of developing a disease. For example, as the result of such a finding, someone could be screened earlier and more frequently for the disease and/or could make changes to health habits like diet and exercise. Such a genetic test result can lower a person's feelings of uncertainty, and this information can also help people to make informed choices about their future, such as whether to have a baby or

If the genetic information is only accessible to the individual then there is a decreased chance of such discrimination occurring because the information is disclosed to who the individual wishes to. Genetic information can raise questions about personal responsibility, personal choice versus genetic determinism, and concepts of health and disease. Personal factors, family values, and community and cultural beliefs can mould the reactions to these issues. For example the response to the genetic information and suggestion from physicians after the test will be drastically different in a society where traditions and religion determine life choices, such as India, than to a more individually liberal society like the USA. Even in a progressive society that has had specific ethnic groups for multiple generations disparities with medical technology are common. A study conducted, using the national representative data, in the USA with the sample that consisted of 1724 men and women of non-Hispanic whites, Latinos, and African American background. Results exposed significant differences by racial/ethnic groups in knowledge and concerns about the potential misuse of genetic testing. Significantly higher levels of mistrust in a physician and the medical system was a common thread within minorities. The genetic tests can be a way of ridding anxiety attached to the assumed inheritance of genetic disease due to family background whilst for others the genetic test reveals their reality. The results can have a great deal of a psychological impact upon the individual. The possibility of developing a genetic disease alone can create anxiety within some. The psychological impact from the results revealed is another issue that society is concerned about. A

Although the gene chip will enable an individual to know whether he/she has a genetic disease, that person may not want to know the information. Many people are frightened that a positive finding on a genetic test will result in discrimination and ostracism because the society will consider them abnormal (Easthope 2005). The other concern is that with genetic test information one might lose or might be unable to get a job or insurance. There have been concerns that with the knowledge of one’s medical information after a gene test, he/she might suffer a psychological problem especially when the results reveal that one suffers from a terminal disease or has high possibility of suffering from one (Willis 2009).

When used to screen for a specific genetic disease or for risk of getting a disease, although many ethical concerns have surfaced regarding whether genetic testing should be performed for the disease in question, its main advantage is that it avoids selective abortion as the method makes it highly likely that the baby will be free of the disease under

When people have a genetic test done, whether it is presymptomatic, prenatal, newborn, or carrier testing, professionals have the ability to access them. This becomes a main concern of those who get genetic tests done because they have the capability of being dropped by their employer or insurance The companies cannot discard a person because of their genetic predispositions, but they can find loopholes to get rid of them legally. Direct-to-Consumer tests, however, cannot be accessed by employers or insurance companies without consent. “Thanks to the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) signed into law in 2008, consumers need not worry about the impacts on their health insurance policy and employee status as a result of pursuing DTC genetic testing” (Su 1). This way, a person can understand their genetic predisposition without the fear of being dropped by an insurance or an employer.“The initial criticism of DTC genetic testing highlighted harms from both advertising of tests and access to tests in the absence of a health care provider intermediary” (Javitt and Hudson 2), but Direct-to-consumer tests remove the fear of outside companies finding out about their susceptibilities to genetic diseases. Many people believe Direct-to-consumer tests can be inaccurate, but with the extensive knowledge of DNA, and what is not discovered, there will be mistakes whether it is done by a medical professional or not.

What impact does genetic screening test results have if you can’t afford to treat it? Before anything, one must start basic and understand that genetic screening is the process of experimenting to test the blood flow and circulation. This act indicates which disease is most likely going to strike inside your body. If any, this process is convenient because the fact that the results give you more time to treat it. According to the very many righteous people the life of a human - being comes before the act of discrimination reaching them. Eventually if reports are isolated then most will be going to the insurance company scamming their system, than they will make lots of insurance money. Therefore not all people are / should be entrusted with insurance money trust, the citizens could make over a hundred thousand dollars.

This would mean that this testing would be more affordable for the commoner. Once testing has been completed and data interpreted, someone will know if they are a carrier for a genetic disorder. If it turns out that they are, instead of waiting for symptoms to arise, genetic treatment of the disease can be done to save the person’s life before it is even in jeopardy. This could prove to be very helpful. People spend thousands of dollars on treatments for a genetic disorder, and the treatments do not even fully rid the patient of the disease. The patient will have to take the medication for the rest of their life to calm the symptoms of that disease. With the advancement of gene therapy, a patient could receive a minimal number of treatments which will not just calm the symptoms but rid the patient of their genetic disorder completely. This, in the long run, could save the patient time, money, suffering, and ultimately it will save their life. This is only the beginning. As time passes, doctors will have the knowledge to save many more lives in the same manner.