Playing God-Genetic Testing

Considering the ethical challenges created by genetic research findings, former U.S. President Bill Clinton said, "As we consider how to use new discoveries, we must also not retreat from our oldest and most cherished values.... Increasing knowledge of the human genome must never change the basic belief on which our ethics , our government, our society are founded. All of us are created equal, entitled to equal treatment under the law." British Prime Minister Tony Blair also spoke of the the necessity to use this new technology conscientiously: "We cannot resist change, but our job--indeed, our duty--is to make sense of change, to help people through it, to seize the massive opportunities for better health and better quality of life and then, with equal vigor, to minimize the threats such developments pose."

Ethics : A set of principles of proper conduct. A system of moral values.

The controversy of genetic testing has been around for almost 50 years. During this time it has been an option for many people. But is it safe? You decide. Here's a little bit about it, pro's, and con's. Genetic testing can be defined as a medical test that uses the sampling of blood and other tissues to determine changes in chromosomes, genes, or proteins. People have many different reasons for getting tested such as: a couple is planning to start a family, a woman is pregnant and over the age of 34, a woman has had 2 or more miscarriages, or simply wanting to know the status of your health. Whatever the case may be, genetic tests are growing in popularity and over 900 are currently in use. While genetic testing allows parents to determine if their unborn baby will suffer from any life-threatening illnesses or profound mental defects, it also brings with it the possibility that parents might try to create "designer babies."

When I became pregnant with my son, his father and I knew that there would be a 50-50 chance that our child would inherit the hereditary neuromuscular disease his father has, Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease, a form of Muscular Dystrophy. The doctors wanted to do an amniocentesis to determine if my son had it, "so we would have a choice of whether to terminate or not." Those words were enough to make me to make us angry and me physically sick. I know from experience the difficulty of raising a special needs child, but all the genetic testing in the world would make me change my mind. I do not regret a day since that decision. So, to say the least, this is a very personal issue.

The availability of genetic testing has boomed recently. Consumers can now order genetic tests via the Internet without a doctor's involvement. Although these tests are designed to help people by providing more information about their health risks, they come with certain downsides. Experts are also concerned about people ordering genomes off the Internet. If someone receives information without the proper context from a doctor or genetic counselor, it could give them a false sense of security