The Pros of Prenatal Genetic Testing Essay

The view over genetic testing starts with establishing necessary definitions and discussing its purpose in our world. To start off, the human body is a complex multicellular system. Every cell in the body is comprised of the same DNA (with some exceptions), which stores our genes. These genes are the set of instructions that encode the proteins necessary to create and maintain the human body. The issue is that some genes can undergo a variety of mutations during development that cause an array of complications or disease. Gene therapy can modify the designated abnormal genes to reach normalcy, while genetic engineering focuses on enhancement and surpassing what is normal. However, the goal of genetic testing is to identify the abnormalities

Besides that, prenatal screening also improves lives. This is because prenatal screening is able to prevent abnormalities which bring difficulties in human life. At this time, "no regulations ... prenatal screening guides parents and

This can come as a blessing to some couple who have a high genetic genes for certain diseases. This has also, helped couples who have very sever fertility issues. There are new techniques being used for genetic screening right now. The process works when an embryo can be selected by sex and then checked for a number certain disease-bearing genes on it. This can lead to either a pre-implantation stage when using In Vitro Fertilization, only

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

Prenatal testing includes screening and diagnostic testing that can provide valuable information to parents about the baby’s health. “Women are routinely offered a variety of genetic screening tests during their first three months of pregnancy to evaluate the risk for genetic disorders in their unborn baby” (livescience.com). I believe prenatal testing and counseling should not be mandatory and that each person needs to make their own decision based on their specific circumstances. Many prenatal tests are noninvasive and only require blood or urine and can test for HIV, anemia, diabetes, hepatitis B and preeclampsia. An ultrasound can also be used to detect some abnormalities with the baby. Doctors may strongly recommend that women who

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

In Improvements in Prenatal Genetic Testing Raise Ethnic Issues, R. J. Crayton produced an article about prenatal testing and whether or not parents should be allowed to have these tests done. First the situation of a high risk baby who will have a disability or defect after birth, so the parents decide to abort the child is being viewed as an inequality to the disabled community. Secondly, certain adoptions are put on hold since the biological parents chose to not carry the unborn child through the entire pregnancy, however, the surrogate mother wants to carry the child through the entire term. Lastly, research shows that the results can be a false positive, so unintentionally the parents decide not to keep the unknown, but healthy baby.

The purpose of the document is to explain the benefits of prenatal genetic counselling, procedures and tests used to find genetic abnormalities, and what to do with the information received through genetic counseling.

Genetic testing has become a highly controversial issue among both the general population and the scientific community. It is a process that exposes a person’s entire genome sequence, allowing it to be read and evaluated to identify potential risks for genetic diseases or diseases that could be passed onto offspring (Holt Productions, 2012). With thousands of genetic tests already being used, and more being established, it seems logical to put this growing technology to use. Some agree that it is a person’s right to know and understand his or her genetic makeup. However, others argue that, despite the benefits of genetic testing, caution should be used to carefully inspect the risks associated with this new technology.

<br>3. Tests should not be carried out if there is not sufficient reason to do so. The person tested may face extremely unfavorable outcomes and this may cause psychological distress. Deciding to get married, becoming pregnant, taking some medical precautions before the first symptoms come about and taking financial and career decisions are examples of reasons that justify taking of a test.

Prenatal testing and genetic testing developed hand in hand. Many genes, the basic unit of heredity, are now known through the human genome project (Pence, 2011, pp. 273-274). Genetic testing can identify the existence of genes that carry potentially life impacting and threatening conditions. However, prenatal genetic testing can determine much more than simply the abnormalities or negative factors. It can indicate sex, hair and eye color, temperament,

Any couple who's they themselves or their partner's family have a history of certain genetic diseases or disabilities will feel pressured to have this testing done. This topic reminds of the movie Gattica, where parents can now choose what traits their child will have, even removing conditions such baldness and alcoholism. In one scene the parent have chosen to have this done with their second born son, after conceiving their firstborn naturally. When they met with the doctors, the parent express that they only want to insure that their child is healthy and leave the rest up to chance. But the doctor they insist they don't, and they continue with the full procedure. I don't believe this could happen if these testings advances. Today's culture is tries it's best to more accepting of one another, if this continue I don't see future parents opting to do such testings. There will be some who do, but again it will only be a small percentage of potential parents who will do

Often when a child gets diagnosed prenatally there is no cure for their disease. "Some conditions, for example, can't be cured, so the only real benefit from screening is that parents simply know soon after a child's birth that he or she will suffer or even die "(Timmerman 17). Parents should not have to know that their baby is sick, when there is nothing that they can do about it. This does not benefit the parent or the baby in any way. It only causes the parents pain. Many times, the reason that parents get prenatal testing is to see if there is something wrong with their baby, and if there is then they will know what they can do to help them. But if their baby has an incurable disease, then there is nothing that can be done to help them. "The disparity underscores what some experts say is a flaw in genetic testing: It provides a bounty of knowledge that is not necessarily accompanied by wisdom” (Kaplan 1). Genetic testing can tell you a lot about your baby. You can learn a lot about their disease and what disabilities they may have, but you most likely will not know how to deal with it

The testing is not a bad idea as such but it should not be done to children. This regards to personal autonomy where it would be better if the testing is delayed until an individual is old enough to make his or her own decision about the test. A person’s genetic information should be private and counselling should be done to elucidate the basis for and consequences of the test in question. Individuals should be allowed to choose when and which

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.