Ethical aspects of genetic testing

Ethical problems in medicine have three basic principles:


 * utility,
 * respecting individual autonomy,
 * Justice.

Prenatal testing

 * Testing at the level of embryos ( preimplantation genetic diagnosis ).
 * The decision to terminate a pregnancy in the case of treatable or phenotypically mild fetal diagnoses (e.g. triple X syndrome ) – balancing the parents' right to decide on reproduction versus benefit for the affected fetus.
 * Gender selection at parents' request.

Genetic testing of disease predispositions

 * Detection of individuals with a mutated allele in late-onset diseases – prevention versus psychological problems of positively tested individuals.
 * Certain diseases with late onset are possible to prevent ( hereditary tumor syndromes )  .
 * The situation is more complicated with fatal diseases with late onset, in which prevention is not possible ( Huntington's chorea )

Genetic testing of children

 * If genetic testing does not bring a clear benefit for the child (e.g. confirmation of cystic fibrosis ), it is approached only at a time when the child is able to decide for himself whether he wishes to be tested (late adolescence or adulthood).
 * Risk of psychological disorders; discrimination in the family, in society.

related articles

 * Ethical and legal aspects of medical genetics
 * Ethics in perinatology
 * Introduction to Ethics

Lecture Human Genome Project II (Mgr. et Mgr. Marek Vácha, Ph.D.) on Medical Media.