Genetic Controversies

Essay on Genetic Controversies

Hypothetically speaking, I am a pregnant woman. I am approached by y doctors to have genetic testing performed on me. I think it is a good idea, so I agree. I take the test, the results come back and I find out that out that the child I am carrying has the gene connected with Sickle Cell Anemia which is a very painful disease that causes severe infections and damage to body organs. It is inherited and it is a life-long condition. I am torn between having the child and putting him or her through a lifelong debilitating sickness or having an abortion. Based on information I would have just obtained from genetic testing I am confused as to what to do. Had I not got the information I would hand just handled the hand I was dealt with. The foreknowledge definitely outs something more in the game.

Some people believe that the Human Genome Project was and is the greatest scientific/medical breakthrough ever. I happened to agree. Genetic testing to identify certain health risk prior to actually having it is major. To know that possibly this is a condition you or your child will have to deal with puts you somewhat in a driver’s position. Knowledge is everything. In doing some reading on genetic testing I found there were pros and cons, as with almost everything in life. I happened to believe that in this situation the good outweighs the bad. Some of the genetic testing available is used for carrier identification, prenatal diagnosis, newborn screening, late-onset disease which includes testing for cancers and heart disease. Genetic testing has some definite benefits. If I and my husband decide to have children and one of us have an inherited sickness, we can possibly find out if the children will inherit the sickness. Based on the results we may decide to adopt a child. If one of my children have a disease I might want to test to see what are the chances of this happening to another child. There are certain sicknesses that may cause me to miscarry often knowing this I may decide to search out other options to becoming a mother.

With this knowledge it is always good to have a solution or at least options. With positive results for sickness one of the options is genetic engineering. This is a technique used to change the DNA of living organisms, which can yield a positive result for a genetic disorder. There are Genetic Counselors; they are people who are trained in grief