Genetic Testing - 1383 Words

Genetic Testing Helps Iceland to Become Down Syndrome Free Some might say in response to the above announcement, â€Å"This is positive medical news—both for Iceland and the world. Nothing here should concern the American public. Genetic testing for abnormalities saves children from a life of significant disability and spares their parents painful stress. The subsequent abortions avoid a wretched existence for the children and improves the quality of life for their surviving families. That is not genocide; it is compassion and mercy. Moreover, it relieves both the parents and society from having to shoulder severe medical expenses for care. That reduces insurance rates and liberates medical resources for those who really need them. So†¦show more content†¦They should not receive criticism but love. What deserves the rebuke? It is the system—with all of its subtle pressures—that promotes eugenic genocide. That is what is being done, and that is the real enemy. For hidden within this system lurks a sinister, half-conscious, genetic-selection system. If awakened fully, it will snap eagerly to attention to do its job. What is that? The passion to play god, expressed in the arbitrary elimination of entire people groups deemed aesthetically undesirable and, therefore, less than human. It is the opening shot in a war—a war over who is worthy of birth (humanity) and who is not (non-human garbage). How could that be? What expert can assure that Iceland’s focus will not broaden to include other genetic traits that have nothing to do with disability but are just unfavored socially? The precedent has been set. If history is any guide, that is precisely what will happen. Gender is not a disease, but sexual selection is already an international problem. Moreover, advocates for the disabled currently sound the alarm for the future, such as Lloyd Lewis (president of the Colorado Cross Disability Coalition). In an article for the Denver Post, he asks where genetic testing might lead: Such testing to remove â€Å"abnormalities† will clearly not stop at DS (Downs Syndrome) or other conditions such as spina bifida. Ultimately, the aim will be to detect allShow MoreRelatedGenetic Testing And Prenatal Testing965 Words   |  4 Pagesof genetic testing focused on the topic of prenatal testing to determine disabilities. We have come a long way in discovering a lot about ourselves related to anthropology, but also to help us learn about ourselves in the future. We are able to do some extraordinary things with technology to take preventative measures with diseases, cancers, disabilities and possibly even structure a human one day. I picked prenatal testing and disabilities to discuss how unethical it is to do genetic testing beforeRead MoreThe Issues with Genetic Testing1076 Words   |  4 PagesThe ability to predict disease and one’s health status by means of genetic testing has raised ethical and legal issues and risks in medicine, public health and soc ial policy. Ethical issues are common in all branches of medicine but â€Å"human genetics poses particular challenges and risks because genetic identity or information affect not only an individual, but also affect family members, close relatives, extended family and as well as the society in general† (Turnpenny and Ellard 2012. p. 361). ThereRead MoreGenetic Testing or Genetic Screening1514 Words   |  7 PagesGenetic testing, also known as screening, is a rapidly advancing new scientific field that can potentially revolutionize not only the world of medicine, but many aspects of our lives. Genetic screening is the sequencing of human DNA in order to discover genetic differences, anomalies, or mutations that may prove pathological. As genetic screening becomes more advanced and easily accessible, it presents society with difficult questions that must be asked about the boundaries of science and to whatRead MoreTaking a Look at Genetic Testing 2274 Words   |  9 Pages Ever heard of Genetic Testing? It’s a branch of Genetic Science (Genetic Science is pretty much characterizing the etiology of illness.) that involves testing the Genome to find mutations that cause disease or will cause disease, an example of this being the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, these genes can get a massive variety of genetic mutations that cause cancer. (Genetic Testing for Cancer: A Complex Decision.) All in all it’s a slowly building advancement in science that’s slowly increasing to a fieldRead MoreThe Problem Of Genetic Testing1286 Words   |  6 PagesAnother is the fact that genetic testing is likely only something the wealthy will be able to afford. This may result in class wars and cause a great deal of resentment. Also, another question is around genetic engineering may cause overpopulation if humans are living longer, but there is no denying the benefit that this technology could also hold the promise of preventing genetic abnormalities that may be passed on to future generation^6. There are three different types of genetic engineering: somaticRead MoreGenetic Testing in the Workplace2011 Words   |  9 PagesGenetic Testing in the Workplace Testing of one kind or another has always been very common in the job application process, whether it’s the testing of one’s skill sets through an application or drug testing. Now, through scientific advances of the Human Genome Project, a new type of testing has become available to employers: genetic testing. This new sort of testing would detect any genetic problems in a potential employee’s DNA, including genetic predisposition for disease and possible healthRead MoreThe Ethics Of Genetic Testing1294 Words   |  6 PagesGenetic testing is a relatively new and rapidly emerging field. Even though this science was seen as controversial, genetic testing has been going on for conditions such as phenylketonuria and sickle cell disease for years. The increase in genetic testing has resulted in the convergence of public health, morals and ethics. Many ethics related issues arise with genetic testing, as well of fear that insurance companies will not reimburse such services. Many moral and ethical obligations appear withRead MoreThe Benefits of Genetic Testing595 Words   |  2 PagesGenetic testing can potentially alter someone’s life and future generations forever by analyzing DNA, RNA, and proteins and subsequently discovering prospective diseases and related problems. While the technology is young and expanding, genetic testing creates a positive future for medicine and people’s everyday life. While many view genetic testing as a route to human gene alteration and the creation of â€Å"designer babies†, one of the largest benefits of the technology lies in its ability to showRead MoreA Research Study On Genetic Testing Essay1390 Words   |  6 PagesThe use of genetic information has drawn repeated attention from insurance companies in recent years. Especially the introduce of genetic testing in the industry, which can help set the level of cost of premiums for different groups of the population as well as assess the risk. Many parties have been involved in the debate on whether genetic information can be allowed to use by insurers when assessing those applications, such as government, insurance companies, health service providers. In the UKRead MoreEssay on Genetic Testing and Screening2122 Words   |  9 PagesGenetic Screening Imagine yourself as a 26-year-old pregnant female. You have just been genetically screened and you found out that you carry a gene for breast cancer. This gene almost always causes breast cancer in early adult hood. Your daughter-to-be has just inherited this gene. You have the following options; a) Abort the fetus and discontinue a disease that wont show signs for decades? b) Carry out the pregnancy and pray that your daughter is lucky and wont develop the breast cancer