Pros And Cons Of Genetic Testing

Eugenics is defined as the study of heredity and the variation of inherited characteristics. Genetic testing has been around for decades, but a breakthrough happened in the 1970’s when researchers found that it is possible to do genetic tests on babies before they were born. In the 1990’s the main focus turned to identifying genes that showed a person’s chance of developing cancers. Genetic testing has the ability to impact the world which is why in future years it should not be limited. This is because it detects diseases early which results in a higher quality of life. These specific detections are known as predictive and prenatal testing.

Several ethical issues arise from the use of genetic testing. As seen in the movie "Gattaca", those who were far from perfect are discriminated by their genes. The main fear that would arise is the idea that when the "perfect baby" is created, anyone less than
There are several cases around the world where people get genetic testing only to find out that they have been diagnosed with a terminal illness in which they fall into a deep depression. In addition it causes a tremendous amount of guilt on an individual knowing that they themselves could potentially pass the disease off to their offspring especially if it's an incurable disease. Not to mention if a genetic test comes out positive, this could in turn require more family members to be tested in which there is a possibility of family secrets surfacing. The nature and extent of genetic testing is not known. In addition if a person was diagnosed with a terminal illness that couldn't be cured, they fear the idea that they will be discriminated from jobs as well as insurance companies. People have been diagnosed with Huntington’s disease have been reluctant to tell their healthcare provider with fear that they will tell their health insurance