Ethical Dilemmas of Genetic Prenatal Screening Essay

One of the questions that has recently plagued me has been that of which is about the genetic structuring of our offspring. I ask myself, will we able to choose the physical features our child? If so, do we as a society think this will be an ethical practice? Perhaps, scientifically, this might be entirely possible, but law will most likely restrict it. An article written by Frederic Golden helped me draw some understanding on this hot topic. Golden commences his article with a brief story of a mother and father who have been through prenatal testing. They tested for Down syndrome and an inheritable neuromuscular disease. While it was a straightforward procedure that was deemed valid by their doctor, Blue Cross (their insurance†¦show more content†¦submit to some prenatal screening. Usually this involves a blood sample of the mother’s blood in order to determine whether she is likely to have a child with spina bifida, neural-tube defects, or Down syndrome (Golden). United States genetic centers now offer DNA tests for over 30 or 40 of the more commonly inherited disorders. Those including cystic fibrosis, susceptibility to breast cancer, X syndrome, Huntington’s disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and many other various disorders (Golden). Also, with recent developments, couples are able to have a pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). This procedure allows the testing of genetic disorders bef ore germination. It consists of â€Å"petri-dish† testing of sperm and egg cells donated by the soon to be parents. This procedure prevents the idea of abortion, for if genetic problems occur, you are not destroying a fetus, but simple flushing away embryo cells. Another article that I have recently acquired has more to do with the ethical standpoint of genetic tailoring, than the scientific. In recent years, a rather large sum of attention has been placed on whether or not the possibility of genetic testing will harm our communities (Gooding). â€Å"The teaching of Bioethics often relies on difficult cases. Indeed sometimes the ethical dilemma is developed by altering the details of the case that is otherwise intuitively straightforward,Show MoreRelatedEthics Of Computing And The Internet1173 Words   |  5 PagesUniversity of the People Inside the topic of health care system ethic is implicit the pregnancy dilemma. This wide topic can include hundreds of pages; herein we are going to cover principal’s data of this essential topic in today’s lives. 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