Ethical Issues In Genetic Counselling

A primary ethical issue of genetic testing could come in the form of genetic discrimination. The human

Mental health counselors encounter many ethical dilemmas in forensic settings. This paper will discuss two ethical dilemmas encounters in forensic treatment settings. It will also examine the complication the dilemmas have on treatment in forensic settings. Lastly, it will communicate guidelines and ethical principles in resolving each dilemma.

According to Munson (2014), through genetic screening or testing, birth of infants with debilitating or crippling defects can be avoided. Also through testing, disease and illness could be eradicated because the gene that causes the disease or illness would not be passed on to the next generation. This is consider eugenics. Some in the medical field have a negative feeling towards this, as if to be playing God. There are others in the medical field on the extreme end feel that laws should be developed that couples with known genes that cause genetic disorders must not have children or if they do selection of embryos are done (Munson, 2014). Genetic testing is expensive and not all insurance cover specialized testing and many cannot afford out-of-pocket cost. Other issues considered is that if a child is born with a genetic disorder or illness, what strain could the lifelong treatment required by the child put on the finances of the family, their insurance, or would the child qualify for state and/or federal medical benefits. Advocates for genetic testing due to the increasing cost and strain on the health care system, the amount of money spent on tests to diagnosis or treat is much cheaper than that of money spent on the care of a child with disabilities (Munson, 2012). Considerations in regards to the future of an infant born with a genetic disease or illness with regards to issues as personal image, self-esteem, and the

There are many controversial issues throughout time that have risen and led countries to disagree to with one another worldwide. Eugenics and genetic engineering on humans is a topic that many believe crosses a major ethical boundary. Many scientists and ethicists believe that gene editing on human genes is unethical at certain degrees and it should not be done until the proper precautions have been overlooked and restrictions are made.

1. Please outline the history of Henrietta Lacks 's tissue cells. Who did what with the cells, when, where and for what purpose? Who benefited, scientifically, medically, and monetarily?

Ethical duties of genetic testing is a challenge among healthcare workers. Ethical dilemmas are created due to situations resulting from genetic testing. Ethical dilemmas is created when genetic testing reveals vital information to a patient and the patient refuses to disclose information to family members that can be affected. Healthcare workers are to protect the privacy of patient’s health records according to the Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) (Butts & Rich, 2016). On the other hand, according to the American Nurses Association (ANA) the primary obligation is to achieve the greatest good for the greatest number of people or the population as a whole (Butts & Rich, 2016). Healthcare workers are faced with an ethical choice. The ethical choice for genetic testing is to reveal information to family members if the greatest outcome is beneficial to the family member.

A provincial health care organization is seeking a Genetic Counselor. A professional that participates in team approach to provide counseling to individuals , patients and families.

To what extent do you feel that genetic experimentation should be allowed, especially experiments that involve the creation of human life in the laboratory and the cloning of human beings?

The genetic counselor will go over the information in the questionnaire to gather and evaluate your personal and family history. They will decide with you what are the next steps to better understand your personal risk and to determine what level of information is right for you.

Dr. Gress’s view that the results of a genetic test should be withheld from patients if they are positive is paternalistic, immoral, and does not consider the autonomy of the individual. He holds the position that notifying patients of their genetic status is too harmful and that it is a doctor’s duty to withhold information that could be devastating; however, in doing so, he violates many ethical principles that doctors should exercise. This paper will give an overview on the topic of genetic testing and the ethical and moral problems associated with it, an analysis rejecting Dr. Gress’s view, and a response to an objection to the thesis of which this paper is based on.

Genetic testing has given scientists and doctors much knowledge into the way disease processes work and has improved the efficacy of treating them. While there are many positive outcomes with genetic testing, there are also some negative ways families and individuals can be impacted. Some ethical dilemmas involving family and genetic testing are: should newborn testing be mandatory or voluntary, do parents have the right to make the decision to have his/her child get genetic testing in adolescent and adult onset conditions, and is the risk to benefit ratio balanced with these tests (Holaday, 2004).

Genetic testing has raised an ethical debate. According to Mand, Gillam, Debatyckis, and Duncan (2012) neither argument has taken a strong dominance over the other. Mand et al. (2012) states that “the debate has adopted a to-and-fro pattern defined by parallel lines of argument, rarely intersecting and relying heavily on fundamentally opposed positions on core principles of bioethics with no reconciliation in sight”(Discussion, para.3).

Within this essay, I will be describing how the helping relationship is initiated by covering ethical concerns, boundaries of the relationships, equal opportunities and confidentiality. I will also be explaining how relationship is developed.

It is a controversial topic as some people argue that it is unnatural - thus unethical. Assuming that all that is against the nature is wrong, would it not mean that saving a person is also unnatural. Inaction in this case would be natural way, therefore ethical thing to do. The practice shows that it is unethical to be inactive when a person is in a danger, otherwise there would not have been a law that punishes for inaction. It does not mean that inaction is wrong, but only it question where the boundaries should lie. Some argue that it is against Christianity. Nonetheless, holy books does not have an explicitly written text about genetic screening. The arguments are only constructed from implications of the holy texts. As the holy texts might hold many different meanings, who can know for sure, if genetic screening is just or unjust way? As this topic is very complicated dilemma and needs a further debates to come to a common consensus, one should consider two outcomes: when it is morally accepted and when it is condemned as unethical thing to do. In the latter case, the choice of screening out a deaf child de facto would be unethical, as it would employ unethical means to reach the result. This paper would focus on the former case due to limitations of this papers

Ethical issues arise when considering gene therapy due to a vast majority of reasons. Deciding weather a disease is worthy of getting the treatment is one of the major issues.