I would like for you to respond back to the two separate questions. we do not have to cite
1. Personally, I feel as though this is a very complex topic that may never have a right or wrong answer. To start off, I do think partners should inform each other of any genetic defects in their family. To add onto this, I believe its in the best interest of partners who are trying to conceive to both take part in individual genetic testing of their own. This could be beneficial for a number of reasons: to find out if there are any underlying issues of their own, similarities of genetic issues, and future genetic issues that may arise. I believe genetic testing is a truly amazing piece of science that should be utilized as much as possible.
On another note, I disagree on insurance companies having access to the results of genetic testing. Logistically, it makes sense for them to know, but ethically it doesnt. It is no ones fault to have underlying genetic issues. Unless insurance companies change their policies to reduce negative impacts (i.e. premiums) on patients with underlying medical conditions, I believe they shouldnt have to know. I also disagree even more on employers being able to screen employees based on genetic testing. Just because someone has a minor genetic defect doesnt necessarily mean they cannot do the job just as good as someone without a genetic defect.
I also believe its a slippery slope for the government to require genetic testing if it leads to healthier infants. Some people disagree on the government having access to medical records/forcing testing done, while others may be interested in it. Personally, I think it should at least be an option for partners to do if they would like to know of genetic anomalies, but requiring it may not be a realistic idea in the long run. I would actually like to do genetic testing for myself one day. What does everyone else think?
2. I do believe that if a person is aware that they have a genetic defect in their family, they should also inform their partner of this said genetic defect. I think that its important because with modern technology, couples are able to consider genetic counselling in order to tell if their offspring will inherit any genetic defects. Genetic counselling will pull from all family history available in order to determine. I think that insurance companies should be allowed to see the test results for genetic testing because if someone has a higher risk of something, then they should have rates that reflect. I do not believe that employers should be able to screen potential employees based on a genetic screening because that is creating a bias against a person and potentially not hiring them if they have a genetic trait, or maybe even just be a carrier of that said trait. When a baby is born they are given many tests to ensure that they are healthy. I dont think that it is a bad idea for the government to also require a genetic test. I think this is because maybe the parents dont know their background, maybe they were adopted or just dont know their family medical history. I think the government requiring this test will result in healthier babies. It can screen and detect some diseases earlier and help improve their lives too. When I was reading chapter two the genetic disorders were interesting to read about. I had previously known about down syndrome, I think that this is the most common genetic disorder. A new disorder that I learned about was Huntington’s disease, I didnt know that it affects muscular coordination and cognition. I learned that it is a dominant form of inheritance and can happen in 1-20,000 births. I thought that overall the entire chapter was a good read. I learned more in the states of prenatal development, the different testing that can be done in todays modern technology that werent able to be done a while ago. One thing that I found to be a big issue is the use of alcohol and drugs while pregnant. According to the text book 14% to 30% of women report drinking alcohol while being pregnant is a very high percentage. By doing this mothers are risking their unborn children to fetal alcoholism. This can cause the baby to have growth deficiencies and cause them to be on the spectrum for autism as well. While babies that are exposed to drugs like cocaine and other drugs will be more likely to be underweight, have poor motor skills and can have slower reflexes than a child that was not exposed to a drug during pregnancies.
