The Genetic Counseling Program is under the administration of the Ferre Institute. This program is unique in that it is not affiliated with a university or medical center. Ferre, as an institution was established in order to educate professionals and consumers on issues of infertility, family building and their genetic risks. The Genetic Counseling Program offers many programs and activities for the community. Heart and Genes is a program that specializes in understanding the role of genetics in cardiovascular diseases. Genetic counselors meet with individuals and families to discuss the potential risks of being genetically predisposed, as well as offer support groups. Genetic testing options are also available and discussed with clients. Mohawk Valley Gene is also offered which has a Genetic Help Desk; an online resource for those who have questions. One can call or…
The author also talks about involving family in taking important health care decisions. She gives an example of…
| Given a situation related to reproductive genetics, genetic research, or the human genome project, develop a set of legal and ethical guidelines, which can be applied to genetic issues for the conduct of medical practice and/or research.…
Genetic testing can also be performed on parents before they conceive a child to determine whether they are carriers of the disease. This would be especially important if both parents were from high-risk populations to prevent families from going through this horrible experience.…
I would respect my patient’s wishes regarding involving her family in her plan of care or not involving them if that is her wise.…
Although not unanimously supported, the use of pre-embryonic diagnosis to screen for disease is generally accepted, this however leads to debate about how much freedom people should be allowed to make decisions about their future children. The issues arise as it is difficult to take an objective view on the topic, with many factors affecting peoples’ views. As there is in fact already a process of natural selection, perhaps it would be best to allow this to progress at its natural rate. On the other hand, if it is possible to allow people to decide elements of their child’s future, then who has the right to stop them from doing so? Can it be reasonable for a group of doctors and politicians to decide the fate of a generation? Especially where health matters are concerned.…
Amy and Kif have decided they want to bring a child into this world. Having a child changes a couple lives forever. They have to think of someone else needs before their own. Having a child can be scary because you cannot predict anything about him or her. So when Amy and Kif heard about genetic screening they thought it was a wonderful idea. They are in interested in the idea of eugenics. Eugenics is selective breeding for the best people possible. Why not pick the exact traits of your baby? Sounds like a great idea to people that have not done their research about this topic. With the use of modern technology, doctors can do this with genetic screening. Couples should not be able to use genetic screening should not be allowed because of how it will affect society as a whole.…
How much of genetic information can the parents or relatives access raises a concern that it might result in an excessive use of reprogenetics. Furthermore, if scientists allow DNA screening for parents to avoid passing genetic diseases to their children, that might lead to more designer babies. Human genetic engineering is new and current field that has its pros and cons. Therefore, we should be more concerned about setting up the limits of how much access the public and scientists can have on genetic information, and taking in consideration the ethical issues behind…
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…
In order for the interests of family members to be taken into account in medical decision making, I think that two principles have to be balanced. I think that patient autonomy and respect for persons have to be a part of every medical decision that an individual makes. The two principles are obviously going to come into conflict with one another in the decision making process, in which case autonomy should have more weight over the respect for persons principle.…
From a patient’s perspective, people tend to see genetic information as more definitive, in the sense that 'you cannot change your genes' and that 'genes tell all about your future.’ Such genetic determinism is an oversimplification and does not take into account the nature of biologic pathways. From a provider’s perspective, genomics presents challenges with respect to ethical and professional responsibilities, including the appropriate use of genomic information in the health care setting. I believe that there should be an identification of provider education programs that increase use of appropriate screening, counseling and evidence-based genetic tests. By increasing the effectiveness of genomic testing, it will help dissolve the negative association and further increase the proportion of people who are willing to receive genetic…
As research continues to uncover new disease-causing mutations, the prospect of stopping the transmission of heritable diseases increases. With the use of modern technology, expecting parents can now be prescreened in order to determine their carrier status for certain diseases. Parents who choose to use in vitro fertilization are able to choose embryos that are free of disease due to preimplantation genetic diagnosis. Additionally, parents can be provided with information on their unborn child with the use of prenatal genetic testing. Some individuals view modern genetic technology as eugenic; however, this biggest difference between eugenics now and eugenics during the 1900s is consent. Today individuals pursue genetic testing by choice and policies on ethics and consent prevent reoccurrences of the immoral endeavors within the field of…
Mills’ (2011) Futures of Reproduction:Bioethics and Biopolitics and Mol’s (2008) The Logic of Care: Health and the Problem of Patient Choice both argued ethics. In Mills’ book she approached to ethics was from more of a technological stand point. Mills discussed in details how preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) influences medical decisions. However, Mol approached ethics from a patient standpoint. Mol discussed how the logic of care begins with the collectives with patients (p. 58). Mol believes that this is the best way to care for patients, rather than treating factors and circumstances as separate entities.…
Probably, applied genetics' most impacts on society are as a result of genetic tests. In general, genetic tests seek to detect some feature of a person's genetic constitution. This feature can be a disease causing mutation or a marker DNA sequence used to detect presence of another gene. Obviously these procedures used for testing the status of DNA, RNA or chromosomes are included in genetic tests. What is more it is possible to include some protein based tests and classical medical examinations when they aim to detect inheritance of a trait. Genetic tests have been divided into four categories in this text, and they will be examined in greater detail later. These categories are:…
Previous studies have determined how to deal with the cultural belief and how they situation for the patient's health care, and treatment options are described model of the disease, it has shown that may affect the understanding of their status. Therefore, awareness of personal and cultural beliefs and confirmation of the cultural context of the patient has been recommended for patients with a positive result of a successful counseling and genetic counseling (Abad, 2014).…