Genetic Screening

Introduction

In this ever evolving world where technology and science are peaking, genetic screening is a thoroughly sort after technique by clinicians and hematologists. It is a method by which individuals are tested to see if they are potential carriers of a certain gene or if they themselves are affected or can be affected by a known genetic disease. Carrier testing, diagnostic screening, pre-implantation testing, newborn screening predictive testing and DNA testing in forensic science are some of the methods of genetic screening. The following paragraphs will introduce a few of these screening techniques and the ethical implications that surround them will be discussed in brief.

Carrier testing

Carrier testing is one type of genetic screening offered mainly to individuals who have a family history of a genetic disorder and is used to identify people who carry one copy of a gene mutation that, when present in two copies, causes a genetic disorder. If both parents are tested, the test can provide information about the couple's risk of having a baby affected by that genetic condition. Examples of carrier testing include identification of individuals who are carriers for mutations in genes responsible for various conditions such as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia thalassemia, and fragile X- syndrome.

However, there are ethical issues that prevail due to carrier testing in both children and adults. Specifically, while ethicists argue that children should not be tested for a certain genetic trait based on their parents' decision as this could affect the future reproductive prospects of the child, parents say otherwise. Parents insist that the children should not wait until they reach a reproductive age to be tested and should be tested at early childhood as this gives them time to come to terms with the fact that he/she is a carrier of the gene associated with the disorder. Furthermore, they think that early testing will make the children known of the genetic risks before becoming sexually active and/or should be able to marry informed of their carrier status (Glenn, 2008).

In the case of carrier testing in adults, confusions about the difference between being an asymptomatic carrier for a gene and actually being affected by the gene can lead to stigmatization and discrimination in society (Fulda and Lykens, 2006). This may lead to unemployment as well as psychological stress to the individual affected.

Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)

This is a specialized technique that can reduce the risk of having a child with a particular genetic disorder and is conducted on early stage embryos produced through assisted reproductive methods such as IVF. The major ethical issue associated with PGD is that it can be misused and used as an eugenic technique by using it for example to select a baby of preferred sex, or to select a future child's aesthetic or behavioural traits (Glenn,2008). To overcome this issue, the governments of some countries have made restrictions in PGD.

Newborn screening (NBS)

This a test used just after birth to identify genetic diseases that can be treated early in life and most states have made NBS for certain diseases such as