Directions: Visit the main internet link http://www.babycenter.com/fetal-development-week-by-week to view the pregnancy video clips (or their individual links) to answer the related questions. Each video is approximately two minutes long.…
Huntington’s disease is a familial disease that is passed down through generations. Out of all cases of HD, 97% of the disease is contracted from parents, and only the small 3% show independent mutation. Moreover, HD is inherited as a dominant trait, meaning a single copy of the mutation is enough to affect offspring. It is therefore vital that couples on high risk of carrying the disease take preventive measures to ascertain the existence of the mutation in their genes for future generations to not pass down the disease further. Methods of genetic screening is largely divided into three – prenatal, predictive and carrier testing. Prenatal testing is done on the fetus in the early stages of pregnancy, whereas predictive and carrier testing is performed on any individual at high risk for having HD. Prenatal testing is usually not recommended for most pregnant mothers, as it carries a high risk of damaging the fetus. Predictive and carrier testing, on the other hand, are harmless methods that determine the existence of the mutation, and thus shows its effectiveness. If couples and individuals…
The Human Genome project, a revolutionary study that spanned over 13 years, hoped to discover more about the DNA of humans. The study's main goal was to provide new information to help with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of genetic disorders. From the substantial amount of information and knowledge acquired from the project, new ways to test for genetic disorders, and the probabilities of inheriting disorders was gained. Gene testing, which involved taking a sample of a persons DNA, helped screen for a number of different disorders and problems. Before genetic testing, couples at risk of conceiving a child with a particular genetic disorder would have to initiate the pregnancy and then undergo the testing, faced with the dilemma of terminating the birth if the results weren't good. But because of the new technology available, with the combined effort of IVF, sperm and egg cells can be removed from both individuals, and the eggs would then be fertilized within a laboratory. The embryo's would then be tested for genetic mutations,…
1. Mosby's Medical, Nursing, & Allied Health DictionaryEdition 5, 1998, p02AE, This text basically taught me that Acute Childhood Lymphoid Leukemia is a malignant (cancerous) disease of the blood producing parts of the body (spleen, Bone Marrow, and Lymph nodes), The peak years for a child to get this disease are between the ages of 2 and 5, and this disease has a nearly a twenty percent chance of relapse. This article is pretty old so only the basic information about the disease can be withdrawn from the text but overall it was very educational and I took a lot from it. This article is relevant to the main ethical issue because it gives me a lot of background information about the disease that Michelle has been diagnosed with.…
One of the major drawbacks of the procedure is the risk of multiple pregnancies. This stems from the transfer of more than one embryo. Although the chances of pregnancy increase, so do the risk of multiple pregnancies that often lead to unhealthy infants (Van Voorhis 382). Another risk is a child with birth defects. According to several studies, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal birth defects occur more frequently among the infants conceived through IVF than among the naturally conceived ones (Van Voorhis 383). There are also several potential health hazards for a female. They include infections, allergic reactions, complications during birth, and others. Finally, there have been some claims that IVF infants are more vulnerable to genetic and developmental illnesses (Mahmoud, Punukollu, and Mahmood). However, those statements are not backed by scientific researches. Apart from medical aspects, the usage of IVF has been a topic of major disputes. The public acceptance has considerably increased since 1980s. Nonetheless, the term “test-tube baby” associated with IVF conceived infants has not lost its negative connotation yet (Brian). Consequently, a couple should carefully weigh the benefits and risks before turning to this…
E. Global Programs- since 1998, they have partnered with local organizations in 33 developing countries on four continents…
This final paper will discuss the ongoing debate of genetic/prenatal testing. Procedures for genetic/prenatal testing have been available since the early 1970's (Press, 2008, pp. 73-78). Genetic testing identifies abnormalities or changes in the chromosomes and genes. This type of testing is used to confirm or deny a suspected genetic condition or used to predict a person's chances of developing or passing on a certain disorder (Grant, 2000). Once the woman wants to go ahead with the genetic testing, a primary care doctor or genetic specialist places an order for the test. Genetic testing is often done as part of a genetic consultation (Press, 2008, pp. 73-78). It is very important that the patient knows every aspect of the procedure including…
Since the test involves taking only a small blood sample, where a person’s DNA can be found, these tests have a minimal health risk. Genetic testing was initially used in pregnancies to test for diseases like Down's Syndrome and other genetic disorders (“What are the...”). However, thanks to more recent improvements, genetic testing has come to display several weaknesses and strengths. The genes that can be obtained from infants can notify parents of possible physical deficiencies, while others may show physical advantages (Stein).…
In the article “Where are we going with preimplantation genetic diagnosis?”, Timothy Krahn outlines the future implications of a ruling made by the United Kingdom’s Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA), and the effect it may have on Canadian’s normative culture. Krahn begins by introducing the Assisted Human reproduction act, which received royal assent on 29th March 2009. Structured and influenced largely on the regulations of the HFEA, decisions made in the UK are naturally transferred and integrated into Canada’s policy.…
Being pregnant for the first time has made me aware of a phenomenon that I am convinced only a pregnant woman can truly understand. I call it “the open-season-on-pregnant-women syndrome,” for lack of a better name. Early in my pregnancy, my older sister warned me that having a baby is not the private affair I had always assumed it would be. Despite millions of years of babies, the idea of a new life is still fascinating enough to make even strangers want to share in the excitement and responsibility. To put it simply, the pregnant woman, and her fetus, are public domain.…
Two procedures can help parents have healthy children, genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis. In genetic counseling, the couple is able to assess their chances of having a child that has some type of disorder; prenatal diagnosis allows the detection of problems before birth that may cause complications throughout the lifespan, i.e. heart deformities, and the doctor may perform surgery in order to produce a healthy child.…
If you could take the chance to see if your baby had any harmful diseases before delivery, would you? There needs to be accessibility to the tests so that parents will be more ready financially and emotionally for any birth abnormalities. 1 in 33 babies are affected with birth defects in the US each year (Prenatal Nierneberg). Birth defects could be prevented or the parents could be ready for the possible outcomes after birth. The Federal government should legislate for more accessibility to prenatal genetic testing by increasing funding to testing facilities, increasing funding towards research for new forms of testing, and by reducing restrictions on physicians.…
When having a child, one of the most important things that parents hope for is that their child will be healthy. For a long time, parents wouldn’t know if their child would have any disabilities until they were born. Now with PGD (preimplantation genetic diagnosis), doctors are able to find deadly diseases in embryos. “The procedure is performed before implantation thus allowing the couple to decide if they wish to continue with the pregnancy.” (American Society for Reproductive Medicine.) This is causing designer babies to become a popular choice for parents that really hope to have…
PGD is known as pre-implantation genetic diagnosing. I do not think it is ethical to design and conceive a child that meets specific genetic requirements. I do not feel that this is an ethical reason to conceive a child. Rather, I believe all children should be seen as blessings or gifts, not sacrificial genetic progeny.…
If a child has a severe genetic disorder, the psychological and financial pressure borne by his or her family is tremendous. Consequently, fetal genetic disorders become one of the primary reasons for a pregnant woman to abort her child. However, abortion has been a very sensitive and controversial topic, and very often women would have a difficult time making the decision to abort. As an alternative to abortion, fetal gene therapy aims to cure genetic disorders at the earliest stage, which is the fetal stage. However, fetal gene therapy is also subjective to intensive controversy. In addition, both fetal gene therapy and abortion possess possibilities of causing permanent damage to the pregnant women and the fetus. As a result, the public…