THEO 353 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Genetic Testing, Determinism, Bernard Lonergan
21 Feb 2020
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Document Summary
Genetic counselling: process of consultation by which information is imparted to individuals or families affected by, or at risk of, a genetic disorder. Benefit of genetic testing for late onset diseases with no treatment: motivate an individual to monitor their health and take preventative measures, provide information used in making major decisions. Prenatal testing for late-onset diseases: perceived link between eugenics and prenatal testing, fear that prenatal genetic testing will push parents to want perfect offspring, free of current and future genetic diseases. Stigmatization and discrimination: genetic testing may lead to discrimination as people are marked by a disease they may or may not develop. Due to: general lack of understanding about benefits and dangers of genetic testing, concepts of: risk, probability, sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value are difficult to understand. Ethical issues with genetic testing for late onset diseases: privacy and confidentiality concerns directly related to asymptomatic persons testing positive for late onset diseases.
