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It's all relative |
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| Families affected by
genetic disorders often have mixed reactions when offered genetic testing, says Doris Teichler Zallen, author of
Does It Run in the Family? A Consumer’s Guide to DNA Testing for Genetic Disorders
(Rutgers University Press, 1997). Zallen, an expert in genetic technologies and bioethics, interviewed dozens of families who had confronted this issue. One group of sisters who went together for genetic counseling said they became closer through the experience even though they did not all choose to be tested. But in some families, genetic testing was perceived as threatening. One woman with a child newly diagnosed with cystic fibrosis said the issue of testing caused a big hullabaloo among relatives. “Now I rain on everybody’s parade,” she says, “because I am a reminder of what could happen.” Zallen notes that of those who opt for testing, most are satisfied that they finally have an answer, even if the uncertainty is replaced by a mixed bag of reactions and consequences. “Genetic tests can be of real value,” Zallen concludes, ”but they are not right for everyone.“ |
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Who
will the information affect? A fetus, a child, you, your
siblings? |
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| Related
links: Genetic counselors do it all  MDA Quest article that explores how genetic testing has both helped and complicated the issue of having children. The Basics About Genetic Testing From the PBS series “A Question of Genes: Inherited Risks.” Compiling your family medical history Mayo Clinic article with link to a worksheet for creating a family medical history. Landon lecture explores question of genetic testing Harold Varmus, M.D., Director of the National Institutes of Health  To read about a
new mutation screening test for CPT deficiency, visit On
the spot. To read about
a family where genetic testing played a role in the diagnosis of CPT
deficiency, visit Half time. |
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The gene is more than a biological concept. Changes in the DNA are our source of joys and sorrows.
