Whose genome project?

The next exclusion debate: Assessing technology, ethics, and intellectual disability after the human genome project

Recent scientific discoveries have made it much easier to test prenatally for various genetic disabilities, such as Down syndrome. However, while many observers have heralded such "advances" for their effectiveness in detecting certain conditions, others have argued that they perpetuate discrimination by preventing the birth of children with disabilities. This article examines the ethical and social implications of the Human Genome Project for individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families. It details the critique of prenatal testing articulated by many disability rights activists as well as scholarly and professional responses to that critique. A review of the pertinent research literature includes perspectives of genetic professionals, ethicists, disability studies scholars, parents of children with disabilities, and disabled individuals themselves. Finally, the article explores how future research endeavors, policies, and practices may more effectively integrate and respect the positions of these various stakeholders.

Ethical dimensions of genetic counseling

Genetics is one of the most exciting and most dynamically developing fields of medicine. Genetic counseling has reached the limelight of public attention. Given the fact that the subject of counseling is of momentous consequences and has important effects for the short and long-term, its ethical aspect is paramount. It is crucial that the relevant regulation be designed. The center of the ethical questions is occupied by the treatment of important personal information and the method of its being made public. The way the problems are dealt with is always changing just as society is in a constant process of change. It is important, however, that we always be ready to offer proper help to those in need when they need it.