The Pros And Cons Of Genetic Screening

Did you know that close to 6,000 babies are born with Down syndrome every year in the United States? The most common type of chromosomal condition is Down syndrome and there are a few different types of this condition, along with, several different traits that are displayed with this condition. I have always been interested in the topic of Down syndrome and thought it was a great idea to study more about it for my speech. First, I will tell you about what Down syndrome is and who discovered it. Second, I will talk to you about some symptoms and characteristics of this chromosome disorder. Third, I will discuss the 3 different types of this condition, and lastly, how they diagnose Down syndrome prenatally.

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

They believe that pregnant women should be offer screening for Down syndrome no matter their age. Before women who were over the age of 35 were suggested to get a Down syndrome screening done. However, now they are suggesting that any woman who is currently pregnant should be offered the chance to have a screening done. The goal of this test is to provide women with the best high quality detection rates with just a few false positive results. As the director of this organization and having a child of my own that has Down syndrome this topic could be difficult to approach in the aspect of seeing the reason why people would want to know whether their child has down syndrome or not. The two main reasons for wanting to know if a child has Down syndrome in the early stage of pregnancy is to consider terminating the pregnancy or so that they have time to make living arrangement to accommodate to child’s special needs. In this case I do agree that women should be offer the opportunity to know if their child might have Down syndrome to prepare themselves physically and emotionally. This would allow them to have time to prepare a good life for this child and accommodate to their special needs. However, women should not use this screening as an opportunity to terminate pregnancies just because the child has Down syndrome. I know that

. Down syndrome is not a disease that someone catches and is not caused by difficulties during the pregnancy, it is a genetic condition. This condition is caused by the presence of an extra chromosome in the body’s cells and causes a redundant amount of proteins to be formed. All cells of the body derive from a single cell formed by the fusion of a father’s sperm and a mother’s egg. Each cell carries a nucleus full of genetic material known as genes. These genes are inherited from both the mother and father. Each cell normally contains 46 pairs of chromosomes. 23 chromosomes come from one parent and 23 from the other, hence the 46 pairs. When it comes to children with down syndrome, one of the chromosomes does not separate properly and so the

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

Down syndrome occurs in people who were born with three, rather than two, copies of the 21st chromosome. This extra genetic material is what brings about the effects of Down’s syndrome. It is often characterized by an impairment of cognitive (process of thought) ability. Most people with Down syndrome have lower than average, mild to moderate, cognitive ability and this cannot be predicted at birth. A smaller number fall into the severe impairment range. Physically, people with Down’s syndrome are smaller in stature, have less muscle tone, and have noticeably different facial features. The number of these births occurs approximately in one out of every one thousand (ndss.org). As of 2007, the number of people in the United States with Down syndrome stood at about 350,000. These numbers will shrink because now (most) potential parents can know the condition of the fetus early. This information is included to let the reader relate to the struggles that some with Down syndrome goes through.

Genetic testing has brought about many changes in the way many couples look at conceiving and raising families. Through genetic testing you are able to screen for the increased chance that a fetus may have one of many congenital disorders, or even identify gene changes that are responsible for a disease that has already been diagnosed (Genetic Testing, March 2015). Unfortunately genetic testing is not always exact, in some cases giving parents false negatives or false positive results. Even if the results are accurate, there is the burden of knowledge once you know the results indicate a genetic abnormality such as Down’s syndrome. While caring for a 2 year old male patient with developmental delays and anotia, I learned that genetic testing had been started but never completed on the child. Genetic testing could help to identify genetic disorders that led to the child’s developmental delays and possible future disorders that may develop. The ethical dilemma I will be discussing to the ANA Ethical dilemma of the impact of informed consent of genetic testing on children for adult onset diseases and disorders.

“When families get a diagnosis prenatally, they use the words ‘shock’, ‘sadness’, ‘disbelief’”, says Sarah Cullen of the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress. “ You feel like like the rug is pulled out from under you. You feel very heavy. You feel very, very alone” (Szabo 1). When parents receive the results of their prenatal test, many do not know what to do. They can feel very overwhelmed, because their baby is unhealthy and there may be nothing that they can do about it. Often the doctor does not know what to do either, because there may not be a cure for the disease.This kind of news alone is agonizing for parents. Mothers should not have genetic testing done to see if their baby has diseases because it causes unnecessary anxiety for the parents, tests may not always be accurate, and it is unethical.

Genetic screenings for newborns are mandated genetic tests that are performed on all babies after birth. Genetic screenings are used to determine the potential for illness, disease, or conditions that could be passed on, by one or both parents. The test performed can be found on the website http://www.wadsworth.org/newborn-screening/screened-disorders, but include a list of over forty current mandatory genetic screenings. Genetic screening is done to protect newborns from conditions, diseases, or illnesses, that otherwise appear normal and may not be visible at birth, but through the mandatory screenings, abnormalities to genetic disorders can be detected, so risks can be reduce, decision, interventions and treatments can be made, that might

When such a condition is detected, or highly suspected, what then? According to Farrell et al., (2014) physicians are most concerned with the ethical issue of pregnancy termination. In the case of Down Syndrome, this is with good cause. A systemic review by Natoli, Ackerman, McDermott and Edwards (2012) found a weighted mean termination rate following a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome was 67%, with a range of 61% - 93%. The evidence they presented suggested that termination rates varied according to maternal age, race, and gestational age. (These variances alone open another ethical can of worms). But one can see, after only brief examination of this one genetic screen, why physicians, and society in general, should be concerned. There is no concensus regarding whether or not pregnancy termination is ethical in and of itself, let alone when one decides to terminate due to knowledge of specific genetic markers or

As a first time mother, Heather was offered an alpha-fetoprotein blood test during her second trimester of pregnancy which screens for different types of issues the unborn baby may have. She chose to take the test and received alarming news that there was a 1:80 chance of her child having Down syndrome. According to Dictionary.com, Down syndrome is defined as a “congenital disorder arising from a chromosome defect, causing intellectual impairment and physical abnormalities including short stature and a broad facial profile. It arises from a defect involving chromosome 21, usually an extra copy (Dictionary. Reference, 2016).” Down syndrome is a lifelong condition and is accompanied with distinctive physical features. Each case varies and has different effects, however, distinctive physical features and some degree of cognitive disabilities are often some of the most common

Genetic screening can reduce the baby's chances of being born with several serious diseases like Down syndrome, spinal muscular atrophy, cystic fibrosis, familial hypercholesterolemia, rare blood disorders such as Diamond-Blackfan anemia, etc.

Down syndrome is a common disorder that affects many people across the globe. In fact, Down syndrome is the most common genetic birth defect. Down syndrome affects over 400,000 individuals in the United States alone. Down syndrome always affects the 21st chromosome in a certain way. The normal amount of chromosomes that a person has is 46 chromosomes, but most commonly, a patient with Down syndrome has 47 chromosomes.

Privacy can also be another problem when getting genome testing. Although the company can not give away any information people can still find out depending on who you tell. Depending on who you tell, the insurance company could change your rate or not want to cover you. There could also be problems with your job. Not many companies or places would hire or keep someone who has a high risk of getting a life threatening disease.

Those with Down syndrome often experience physical issues such as poor muscle tone and poor immune function (Carmeli, Kessel, Merrick, & Bar-Chad, 2014). Individuals who are born with Down syndrome often need extensive help making adult decisions throughout their lives, but the severity of cases varies heavily within individuals that have Down syndrome. Down syndrome has some clear physical features, but it also has a number of features that affect the individual; for instance, individuals with Down syndrome are more likely to experience problems with congenital heart disease (Glasson, Dye, & Bittles,