Genetic Screening

Genetic Screening - testing for genetic disorders. Most commonly, prospective parents or a fetus is tested when a specific genetic disorder is suspected (e.g., Tay-Sachs or sickle cell disease). In such a case, genetic screening begins with a complete medical history of both parents. If the parents decide to conceive or have already conceived, diagnostic tests, such as chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis, can be performed on the fetus to detect various genetic disorders. In the case of a positive finding, the parents can elect to abort the fetus. Embryo biopsy, another diagnostic test, can be used on an embryo conceived by in vitro fertilization to determine if the embryo is free of certain genetic diseases before it is implanted in the uterus. As researchers identify more genetic markers for diseases and develop blood tests for them, concern has arisen over the use of such tests to deny people health and life insurance, employment, and the like. A 1993 National Academy of Sciences report called for the establishment of ethical guidelines on the use of genetic screening, and in 1995 the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said that the use of genetic screening to deny employment could violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.

See also eugenics.

See G. Evars-Kiebooms, Genetic Risk, Risk Perception, and Decision (1987).

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved.