Genetic Screening Pros and Cons

Genetic screening or genetic testing is a process that is undertaken in order to rule out the possibility of the presence of any genetic disorders. Couples who have the risk of having a child prone to such disorders usually perform such tests. Such a test may be carried out before pregnancy, during pregnancy, or even upon the birth of the baby. This process, when conducted before or during the pregnancy, allows parents to decide whether or not they wish to have the child, and if they do, plan adequate resources to take care of it. While a lot of people believe that this is the best way to save a child a life full of suffering, there is another side that speaks of certain ethics of this process, that emerge from this entire procedure.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Genetic Screening

Apart from the aforementioned process of genetic screening before pregnancy, it may be carried out in other instances too. Couples may wish to undergo this procedure before marriage, to ensure that their children in the future are not affected by any genetic disorders. If a person has a family history of medical conditions, this process may help the individual determine the mutations and diagnose any impending conditions that can affect her/him. Any scientific procedure, including experiments and tests in this area are bound to have certain pros and cons. Take a look.

• When prenatal genetic testing is carried out, it can detect mutations in any of the thousands of genes in the fetus. By checking the susceptibility of a fetus to any of the various genetic disorders, it allows for preparation to deal with the situation beforehand. However, one of the biggest cons among the pros and cons of prenatal genetic testing is that the process poses the risk of a miscarriage.
• When newborns undergo the process of genetic screening, it helps make an appropriate diagnosis beforehand, and enables doctors to take suitable action to arrest the development of a dangerous condition before it worsens, or treat it appropriately.
• One of the greatest developments in the field of genetic testing is that it helps determine the susceptibility of women towards developing cancer. Known as predictive testing, the procedure can help take measures to prevent the development of the condition.
• Though this scientific method of discovering the possibility of illness even in the unborn has resulted in a breakthrough moment in scientific history, there are a lot of cons of genetic testing and screening. The biggest is the psychological impact of the results of genetic screening. The outcome of a genetic test can give a big blow, not only to the affected individual, but to the family too. It is also an expensive procedure.
• Another disadvantage of the process of genetic testing during pregnancy is that the option to terminate the pregnancy can result in the development of a human race that is genetically superior. This can lead to what is perceived as genetic discrimination in the future.
• The basic concern is the social stigma associated with finding out about the predisposition of a person to some kind of genetic disease or disorder.
• Finally, the fact that prenatal genetic screening gives couples the option to terminate a pregnancy is the biggest bone of contention in this entire process.

There are numerous laws by which this procedure is regulated, and complete confidentiality of the results is maintained. However, this does not affect anything, as this is a procedure that is always going to be debated, and there will never be a right and wrong here. It is all a matter of the perception of right and wrong.