This is an issue that many people will need to consider in light of the development of precision and customized medicine. One may now use DNA testing to determine whether they will or have a high likelihood of developing an illness. But scientists, doctors, and patients are presented with a wide range of moral problems when they attempt to find answers to these issues.
In this article, we’ll look at a few ethical concerns with genetic testing, such as those related to permission, privacy, and the duties of the various parties.
What exactly is a Genetic Test?
In a genetic test, a sample of a person’s DNA is taken from the cells in their blood or saliva and analyzed to look for any mutations. Although some direct-to-consumer genetic testing firms utilize this data to infer AncestryAncestry, it may also be used therapeutically to determine whether the modifications have any bearing on your health or the health of your family members.
Genetic testing for health conditions may, but is not limited to:
Diagnostic testing to determine if a hereditary condition exists or not.
Predictive and presymptomatic testing – Testing for inherited conditions like Huntington’s disease may also be necessary, which may not yet have symptoms.
Testing of carriers – to find mutations that might only be present in one copy in the test subject. If they are present in two copies, they can result in a genetic illness. Couples can use this to learn about their chance of having a kid who has a specific genetic issue.
Obstetrician-gynecologist’s Role:
The ideal option for the obstetrician-gynecologist to avoid the difficult decision of forced disclosure or remaining indifferent to hazards to relatives is to foresee the issue and bring it up during the initial genetic counseling session. Some bioethicists have even proposed using these sessions as a chance for clinicians to explain the circumstances in which they would consider disclosure mandatory, allowing patients to find alternative care if they saw the testing conditions intolerable. To ease their patients’ fears, doctors should also be ready to aid patients at the time of revelation.
Genetic Information and Family
When patients obtain the results of genetic tests, they frequently also learn information that directly affects their biological family. Genetic information’s family nature presents ethical challenges for doctors, especially in light of their obligation to maintain patient confidentiality.
In a different scenario, a woman who learns she has a gene that makes people more susceptible to cancer would not want to tell her family members—some of whom may even be patients of the doctor who tested her—because doing so would reveal her status as a carrier.
Testing for Prenatal Genetics
Fetal genetic testing presents both potential and ethical difficulties. However, with the development of genetic technologies, doctors may be asked for prenatal testing for less serious child-onset diseases, adult-onset disorders, or genetically connected features.
Prenatal testing can be used to diagnose fetal conditions that can lead to pregnancy termination, to help patients get ready for the birth and care of a child who may be affected, or, less frequently, to diagnose and treat fetal conditions in utero. However, the various purposes for which prenatal testing may be used make it difficult to make an informed choice.
Employers, Insurers, and Genetic Data
One of the most vexing problems facing medical professionals who seek to utilize genetic testing to enhance the health of their patients is the question of access to health and life insurance if a harmful or predisposed gene is discovered. In some respects, the way health insurance is purchased in the United States makes this issue more apparent. People with a predisposing gene diagnosis need not worry about losing access to health insurance in nations with universal health care.
Additionally, genetic data privacy needs to be adequately safeguarded. Data based on assessments, tests, and family histories of persons and their relatives must be included in protected genetic information. Finally, as was already said, it must be acknowledged that in this era of computerized medical records, it is impossible to guarantee the confidentiality of these data.
Conclusions
Genetic testing in obstetrics and gynecology is expected to grow steadily. Physicians should be conversant with the range of paternity testing that is now available and their limits to ensure that patients receive the most excellent quality of treatment. They should also be mindful of any genetic diagnosis’s adverse effects on their patients. The doctor should make an effort to lessen such effects.
The fact that a family shares genetic information makes it unique. Patients should be made aware of this information by their doctors, who should also assist them in making plans for dealing with their DNA test results, including thinking about telling their biological family. Physicians should encourage their patients toward voluntary disclosure while vigorously defending their right to anonymity if the genetic information may benefit family members.
