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kgould's picture

I listened to the radio

I listened to the radio discussion about genetic testing. The mentions about genetic discrimination and "biology not being destiny" struck me as interesting concepts.

First off, having watch GATTACA several times in science classes throughout high school, I find the idea of genetic discrimination to be terrifying. It isn't fair to judge someone based on their DNA. No one's perfect. And no one should be. Employers shouldn't gain access to someone's genetic map with the intent of refusing employment if they test positive for certain genes. ...At the same time, employers would want to know if their employees have a high chance of developing some kind of behavioral disorder, right? Especially if it came down to safety? (i.e. someone with access to dangerous substances, like nuclear or biological weapons).  

What about relationships? Certainly, one should be judged based on their actions, not on their DNA are, but if a prospective mate has Huntington's Disease... would one still reproduce with the knowledge that the offspring will encounter the disease later in life?

It's confusing. I know genetic discrimination is wrong, and I don't think I really agree with genetic testing in the first place, but isn't it fair to your spouse if you let them know that your prospective offspring have an 85% chance of developing breast cancer?

No one's perfect, and no one should be perfect. The idea that someday parents might be poking around their child's genome to make them "better" makes me rather ill. Not only does it give some people (those with the means to mess around with genomes) unfair advantage over others, but we're still not entirely certain what genes code for. A lot of genes influence several traits. Going in and changing things simply to make a child "better" is probably not such a good idea.

...but should parents be able to erase genetic disease from their children's genomes? Would they be "better" parents for doing so? Wouldn't it make their children's lives better?...

And "Biology is not destiny." Knowing the randomness of life, there's always a chance, however small, that the genetic disease or disorder isn't going to be expressed. Nothing is set in stone. As I stated earlier, I don't really agree with genetic testing. Is knowing really going to change anything? In some cases, I think knowing makes things worse. Instead of living life normally, one would be anxious and paranoid about each new day. Is that a new bump? Did I have that rash yesterday? Do my hands always shake like that?

Is having a reason for your disease or disorder going to change how you deal with it? Is blaming it on your genes, on your parents, going to make the disease any better?

...I don't think so. Regardless of any reason, isn't it best just to live your life as best you can?

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