Posts Tagged "Controversy"

Understanding the Pros and Cons of Prenatal Genetic Testing

If you are pregnant, you and your partner may have been spending a considerable amount of time debating whether or not you should do  prenatal genetic testing.  This whole debate frankly can be emotionally charged.  Therefore, it is important for you to step back for a moment and to deliberately and calmly consider the pros and cons that are associated with genetic testing.

In this day and age a growing number of people are seeking genetic testing for themselves or their unborn babies.  The rise in the number of people who see genetic testing has been accompanied by a rise in the volume of the controversy surrounding genetic testing.

One of the more controversial elements associated with genetic testing involves those individuals that advocate this type of testing in order to identify unborn babies that do have severe genetic defects.  The theory is that if these babies can be identified, if babies that have no hope of a so-called “normal existence” can be identified before they are born, the pregnancy can be terminated in order to avoid a great deal of suffering all around.  Again, this is a controversial position, a position that is subject to much debate.  (In this regard, the term “baby” is used in this article not as a means of suggesting one position or another in this debate.  Rather, it is intended merely in the generic term that people utilize in most cases when discussing an embryo or fetus, when discussing a baby yet to be born.)

Because of this particular controversy, there is an active group of people who advocates banning genetic testing.  On the other hand, there are plenty of other individuals who are standing firm in support of genetic testing for the benefits that can be derived from the process.

Genetic testing is proving very useful in identifying certain types of conditions and ailments that actually can be corrected before the baby is born.  Therefore, genetic testing as a process is playing a role in regard to pregnancy for which few people have any specific disagreement.

In addition, there are many parents who elect to have genetic testing undertaken so that they can be prepared for a baby that might have some sort of serious problem, some sort of serious health or physical issue.  These parents do not desire to terminate a pregnancy but rather desire to be well prepared for the birth of a child that will have special needs.

Genetic testing is recommended in situations in which one or another of the parents has a history of genetic issues or defects.  It is also recommended in those cases in which the mother is over a certain age.  (Many doctors recommend genetic testing for expectant mothers who are over the age of forty or forty-two.)

The debate over genetic testing is expected to continue – rage, really – well into the future.  If you are pregnant and considering genetic testing, it is important that you be armed with the facts of the process rather than the heated issues in the debate so that you can make an informed decision.

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Some Conditions Diagnosed By Genetic Testing

Some good things about genetic testing are the ability to find out if you carry a specific gene or if you have a gene that will result in a genetic disorder in the future. Some of the conditions diagnosed by genetic testing are cystic fibrosis, Huntington disease and Down syndrome. This has become a normal procedure done with pregnant women and both parents even before conception.

Parents can be screened before deciding to have children and find out if they are a carrier of a specific gene, but doctors need to be aware of all the different ethnic groups and what to look for when any genetic testing is done. Some good things about genetic testing before conception are, you can find out if you have any specific genetic disorders and if there is a chance of passing it on to your child.

When two people who want to have children carry the same gene, they may half to make a decision about having a family a different way. The conditions diagnosed by genetic testing allow doctors to inform perspective parents if both have a gene that could cause a genetic disorder in a child. If both parents have the same gene, the child will more than likely be born with the disorder not as a carrier as they would if only one parent had the gene. For more info see http://www.geneticdnatestinghelp.org/paternity/dna-paternity-test.html

Some adoptive parents want genetic testing done on newborns and children before the adoption goes through to make sure they are completely healthy with no genetic disorders that could affect their health. This brings up some controversy about such a practice. Conditions diagnosed by genetic testing may leave some children without homes and parents because they have a specific gene or a specific genetic disorder.

There are some good things about genetic testing, but when used in for this purpose has raised questions by adoption agencies about whether parents should have a guarantee or not. When you conceive a baby, you have no idea about the health at this time so why should you when adopting. The ability to select a baby with by genetic testing defies nature. All children need homes, and if genetic testing before adoption ever becomes a regular occurrence, can you imagine all the children that will never know love and have a family to share their life with.

There many conditions diagnosed with genetic testing and this is good for the future of the world, but is good for everything and in every case. I believe genetic testing for both parents is a wonderful idea, it gives them a choice to have children or not, but in some cases, genetic testing may hurt the population if proper guidelines for testing are not put into place.