Ethical Issues of Genetic Screening

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Ethical Issues of Genetic Screening

Introduction

As we approach the 21st century, we as a society are increasingly bombarded with technical advances. One such area of advancement is the research involved with the Human Genome Mapping Project (HGMP). HGMP is a multi-billion dollar world wide research collaboration interested in sequencing the entire human genome. Started on October 1, 1990, with a group of over 350 labs, and expected to finish within the next 5 to 7 years, the Human Genome Mapping Project has given rise to many important advancements and many discoveries about the genetic make-up of humans (Bylinsky, 1994). With these advances come many ethical questions and concerns. The ability to screen an individual for specific disease will, in the future, play a major role in each of our lives. Genetic screening is defined in Genethics, by Suzuki and Knudson (1990), as "the examination of the genetic constitution of an individual - whether a fetus, a young child or a mature adult - in search of clues to the likelihood that this person will develop or transmit a heritable defect or disease."

In the 1860's, it was known that progeny tended to resemble it parents; but how or why this occurred was a mystery. An Augustinian Monk by the name of Gregor Mendel was studying the passage of traits in pea plants. His pure bred lines and careful observation were the footing upon which modern genetic theory was based. Little did he know that his garden of peas would eventually open the door to billions of dollars of research and years of legal and ethical debates (Griffiths et. al., 1996).

Since the days of Mendal and his peas, there have been leaps and bound in knowledge. These advances have developed to the point that we ha...

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Reckoning." Business Week 26 Sept. 1994: 84-92.

Holtzman, Neil. "Editorial: Genetic Screening and Public Health." American Journal of

Public Health Aug. 1997:1275-1277.

"GATTACA." www.corona.bc.ca/films/details/eightday.html. 27 Oct. 1997.

"GATTACA Homepage."www.gattaca.com. 27 Oct. 1997.

Griffithes, Anthony, et. al. An Introduction to Genetic Analysis. New York. W.H.

Freeman and Company, 1996.

Lapham, E., Chahira Kozma, and Joan Weiss. "Genetic Discrimination: Perspectives of

Consumers." Science 25 Oct. 1996:261-264.

Mullis, Kary, Francois Ferre, and Richard Gibbs. PCR. Boston: Birkhauser, 1994.

"President's Bill Would Prohibit Human Cloning."

www.ornl.gov/TechResources/Human_Genome/publicat/hgn/v8n3/07pres.html. 14 Nov. 1997.

Suzuki, David and Peter Knudtson. Genethics.Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1990.

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