After this week's lecture, I was intrigued about genetic testing. This is a subject I haven’t really been exposed to yet. It presented many questions that I hadn’t heard before like what the pro and cons are. It was fascinating that we have the technology to know this. The question then becomes: do people want to know in advance if they have a chronic disease or not? This makes for a sticky situation just like the many others we have talked about in class this semester.
At first I was completely for genetic testing. My reasoning was why wouldn’t you want to know if you had a chronic disease? After reading through some case studies that we talked about in class, it became apparent that people change the way they’re living because they know they’re going to pass-away or pass on some genetic disease to their child. I don’t see why people shouldn’t have the right to choose if they want to get tested to know if the child is going to be a healthy baby or not. I think that it is a person's right to be allow to have this process done. I have trouble knowing where to draw the line though. If the child is severely sick it would be easier to make the choice to abort, but when it comes to a child with Downs Syndrome I am not sure about that. I have a friend who has Downs Syndrome and I couldn’t imagine him not being alive. I guess I don’t think children should have to suffer their whole life.
Another point is that I don’t think the government should be the ones who should tell people they can or cannot have children. If I were sick with something that could potentially be passed on to my children I don’t think I could take that chance because I would want them to be healthy. But I can’t speak for everyone else on such a personal decision.
I agree with your post. I feel that parents need to make the best informed and moral decision on whether or not they want to have kids in light of one of the parents having a genetic disease. I think it would be in the best interest of the child if the parent was tested. But I can see the reason behind not wanting to know either and trying to live a more fuller and normal life. I also agree that I too would have a hard time having children if I knew that I had a potentially gentic disease I could pass on to them. But if a couple is set on having kids, they can also look in adoption.
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ReplyDeletePersonally, I do not think I would want to be tested for genetic disorders. I honestly don't think I could enjoy my healthy life under the constant anxiety of knowing how and possibly when I would die. I would much rather appreciate each day and live it to the fullest, knowing God will call me home on his own time and for reasons unknown to me.
ReplyDeleteYou make some very good points here. I know that when I get married, I am going to have my husband and I both get genetic testing done. If there is a chance that my child will be born with a severe disease I would choose to adopt instead. My parents had genetic testing done when they got married, which I think was smart of them to do.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed hearing about your opinion on this topic. It's interesting to see what everyone thinks about this because I've never discussed it before. I think that I would want to get genetic testing done, however if I found out that my child would have a severe disorder I do not know what I would do because I really want to have kids of my own. I guess it would depend on the severity of the disease.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that the government should not say who can and can't have children. Considering forced sterilization policies from the past, that could get very scary. Your genes don't say whether your life will be worth living or your worth as a person. I do think genetic testing is a good idea and I would probably have it done if I ever choose to have children. But the decisions that come as a result of a genetic test should be on an individual basis, not decided by law.
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