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.

Links

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.

References

• NUSSBAUM, Robert L, Roderick R MCINNES, and Huntington F WILLARD, et al. Clinical Genetics: Thompson & Thompson. 6th edition. Prague: Triton, 2004. 492 pp.  ISBN 80-7254-475-6 .

Category : Genetics | Ethics