Flores 1

Stephanie Flores

Mrs. Nosacka

Biology

February 9, 2011

The Ethics of Genetics: Genetic Testing

What is “Genetic Testing?” It is used to “test genetic disorders”, and it “involves direct

examination of the DNA molecule itself.” They can be used for: carrier testing, genetic

diagnosis, testing for Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer’s, types of cancer, etc. There are more

than a “thousand gene tests available” for people who may be infected. But will this improve

lives, and how will it affect most lives?

These tests have improved lives, for example, the doctors can clarify the kinds of diseases

their patients have. They can see if it is a grave disease or if it is just a minor disease. They can

also prevent them from spreading diseases into their household by giving them several

treatments, in order for them not to spread to their families and friends. Most of the time, doctors

can give their patients treatments in order for them not to receive the infections before they can

be infected by them. So these tests are proven to be helpful for patients and people.

But there are certain limitations when it comes to genetic testing. Most of the time,

people who do not have a certain disease may be a victim for “their family history” because they

might not know when it will happen to them or how, until they receive the disease and the

doctors explain to them how it happened. But there are also times in which people carry several

diseases, and although they “never actually develop them”, they could infect others without even
 Flores 2

knowing it. Also, sometimes doctors might also not know if it’s “positive” if their patients carry

the disease or not. There can also be times in which the “doctors can make a mistake.” For

example, they can tell their patient that they have a disease and give them treatment for it, but

“they’re giving the treatment to the wrong person,” and so they are harming the patient that is

receiving the medical treatment and it could affect their health. But there are also times when a

patient, who has a disease, the doctors cannot tell what kind of treatment they can have or if

there’s even a cure for it, so it may lead to their death. But the result of it all is that, it’s not

always bad to do genetic testing, because it sometimes can improve lives, but it can also affect

others in many ways by receiving the disease and not being able to treat it. But there can be

positive results in which there can be cures for these diseases.

 Flores 3

Bibliography

http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/medicine/genetest.shtml