For now, genetic testing can be used to help diagnose certain diseases, like Huntington’s disease and Cystic fibrosis, but in most cases there is no cure available and little that can be done to treat these diseases. Genetic testing is also used in criminal investigations. When it helps to identify a rapist or murderer, that is a benefit to society, but when testing is forced on a large group of innocent people to try to identify the

Parenting issues arise out of some aspects of genetic testing. Prenatal testing is a growing trend that brings with it several difficult ethical situations. There is the dilemma of whether or not to bring a baby into the world that may have serious medical problems either from the start, or sometime down the road. For those who believe that life begins at conception, the decision to end a pregnancy is equal to murder, but there have been cases where health insurers have refused to cover the medical needs of such a child, if he or she is brought into the world. For example, there was a case where an HMO told a woman whose unborn child tested positive for cystic fibrosis, that it would pay for an abortion, but if the baby was born it would not be covered under the family’s medical plan (Bereano). Whether or not to test an older child for certain genetic disorders is another sometimes difficult parenting decision. Requesting a child to be tested for adult onset diseases can have a variety of often-overlooked repercussions. Children are often unprepared to face or understand the results of such tests. They may not understand the difference between a risk and a certainty. Their self-esteem can be affected at a critical time in their emotional development. It may also alter the way the child is treated by other siblings or adults who see them as being more vulnerable or fragile. These are some serious things to consider before undergoi

Some topics in this essay:
Genome Project, National Commission, Commission Besides, Consider Overall, Management Association, genetic testing, , Responsible Genetics, privacy issues, genetic testing poses, genetic testing lead, people based, privacy innocent, genetic tests, innocent people, national commission, issues addressed, testing poses, cystic fibrosis,