GENE 205 Advanced Genetics

Question: Genetics In Medicine By Nussbaum, McInnes, & Willard. Discuss the ethical and social issues involving “direct to consumer genetic testing.” Base the discussion from the perceptive of the person that submits genetic testing via “23 and me” or “ancestry. Com” and learns that he/she has different parents or finds unknown relatives, such as a half-sister. Do these companies provide couseling? What are some of the ethical and social issues resulting from the findings. The discussion allows for creativity and can be written in the first person. The assignment states, “Once you find your topic. Describe it. Then talk about the ethical or social issues that surround your topic.” Answer: Introduction: The research and innovation in the medical science has revolutionized the scope of medicine, and the genetic research has a fundamental role in it. Personalized genetic medicine is one such innovation in the medical science which has the potential to improve the scope of success for the treatment modalities (Nussbaum, McInnes & Willard, 2007). Now genetic testing has become a very common aspect and there are a variety of software available for genetic testing for medical or health related purposes. ‘23 and me’ and ‘Ancestry.com’ are two such sources which provides the clients with the opportunity to genetic testing and family history analysis (Ancestry.com, 2018; 23andme.com, 2018). Although, along with the benefits, there is a variety of ethico-social and moral issues associated with genetic testing and family history analysis. This discussion will explore and discuss one ethical and social dilemma associated with family history analysis taking the assistance of a case study. Discussion: In this assignment, the case represents a client who had used the 23 and me website to draw up a family history and ended up discovering new relatives, a half-sister and also has different parents. Now it has to be mentioned in this context that such a revelation can be an astounding shock for the individual and often such clients are in need for psychological support, in the form of one to one counselling. Genetic counsellors provide assistance in interpreting the results of the genetic testing and helps the clients come to terms with the revelations of the genetic tests (Nussbaum, McInnes & Willard, 2007). However, the genetic counsellors also helps the client cope with any deleterious impact that the genetic test could have revealed to the client, such as an impending illness or even having different birth parents or a half-sister, as had been the case for the client in our case. Hence, a genetic counselling session post obtaining the results of a genetic test is very important, and “23 and me” provides the scope for genetic counsellor aid as well. The test result from the “23 and me” website contains a link from the National Society of Genetic Counsellors or NSGC which also provides the clients with the opportunity to find a genetic counsellors in their area (23andme.com, 2018). Considering the genetic test results, the ethical and social issues arising from the genetic testing has to be acknowledged in this context as well. Considering the ethical issues associated with genetic testing, it has to be mentioned the ethical aspects of autonomy and confidentiality can be at stake for such genetic testing methods. For instance, autonomy in the context of genetic testing represents the right of persons to make an informed and independent decision regarding whether they want to be tested and then discover the details of the test results. Another very important issue of genetic testing and family history analysis is the violation of personal information and breach of confidentiality. It has to be mentioned in this context that genetic information and family history analysis is sensitive information and while testing the genetic information, the genetic testing often puts the private information at risk and violates the confidentiality (who.int, 2018). Considering the aspect of social issues, the knowledge from the genetic test results can result in potential discrimination and stigmatization. Along with that, the client in this case had discovered a completely new identity of having different birth parents and a half-sister which can be a severe social change for the client and can even affect her understanding of her cultural identity. Conclusion: On a concluding note, the impact of the genetic testing brings forth endless possibilities for personalized medicines and in turn widens the scope of genetic research further as well. Agencies like 23 and me provides the opportunity for the society to explore their family history and genetic characteristics in a very easy format, along with providing the support of genetic counselling. Although, there should be higher emphasis on the ethical and social aspects associated with genetic testing and family history analysis considering the myriad of ethico-social issues that the revelation of such tests can bring forth in the lives of the clients. References: 23andme.com (2018). DNA Ancestry Test, Find DNA Relatives – 23andMe AU, DE, FR & EU. [Online]. Retrieved from https://www.23andme.com/en-int/dna-ancestry/. [Accessed on 26th Nov] Ancestry.com (2018). Ancestry® | Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records. [Online]. Retrieved from https://www.ancestry.com/. [Accessed on 26th Nov] Nussbaum, R. L., McInnes, R. R., & Willard, H. F. (2007). Thompson genetics in medicine. Philadelphia: Saunders. who.int (2018). Genetic testing. [Online]. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/genomics/elsi/gentesting/en/. [Accessed on 26th Nov]

GENE 205 Advanced Genetics

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