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Family Helper ADOPTION NEWS CENTRAL |
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Ethics of preadoption genetic testing
BY ROBIN HILBORN, Family Helper editor | ||||||||||||||||||||
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(March 27, 2000) Preadoption genetic testing was discussed at the Bio2000 Convention (Boston, March 2000). If you test a child's DNA before adoption, will you find "flawed" genes that predispose her to mental or physical health problems? Would such testing violate the child's privacy rights and risk genetic discrimination in the future? Who should be tested, who should be told, and who should be protected from involuntarily submitting or releasing information about their genetic makeup? In whose interest would it be to know about medical problems ahead of time? What if the test detects conditions that aren't treatable?
The American Society of Human Genetics and the American College of Human Genetics have taken positions against testing except to detect conditions for which treatment would have immediate benefits. Boston Globe, 3/27/2000, pg. A1, www.boston.com/globe/ Bio2000 convention, www.bio.org
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