Genetics & Ethics

1. Genetics & Ethics

2. Definition
• The scientific study of hereditary , how
particular qualities or traits are transmitted
from parents to the offspring's.
• Genetic technology is an emerging area in
medicine , which gives so many hopes for
various health related problems of human
beings.

3. Characteristics of Genetic Data
Genetic information is:
• Personal
• Permanent
• Predictive
• Prejudicial
• Pedigree-sensitive

4. Some Issues Raised by Genetic Testing
1. Risks of being tested
2. Problems posed by public conceptions of
genetics
3. Problems with confidentiality & consent
4. ‘Commodifying’ our genes

5. 1. Risks of Being Tested
• Psychological
– If positive for a ‘bad’ mutation:
• Burden of knowing you have the predisposition, particularly
if no treatment is available
• Genetic determinism: possible overestimation of likelihood
of actually becoming afflicted
– The situation with Huntington’s is not typical
– If negative:
• Evidence of ‘survivor guilt’ in some cases
• Possible over-confidence
– E.g., thinking you won’t get breast cancer because your test
for BRCA1 & 2 came out OK

6. More Risks of Being Tested
• Practical
– Employment
– Life insurance
– Health Insurance (more important in US)
• Is it fair for companies to take genetic information into
account when making hiring decisions or decisions
about whether to insure a person?
• Do these risks justify being paternalistic regarding who
is given a genetic test
– ‘Traditionally,’ tests have not been given without genetic
counseling, although this is likely to change.
– Recall the Rule of Justified Paternalism

7. 2. Popular Beliefs about Genetics
• Genetic Determinism: The common misconception that
all genes work like the gene for Huntington’s, i.e., the idea
that having a particular gene will guarantee having a
particular trait
– Huntington’s is an atypical example
– For the most part, having a particular gene mutation will just
increase your chance of developing some trait, not guarantee it.
– Furthermore, most ‘genetic conditions’ are the result of a number
of different gene mutations (as well as interactions with the
environment)
• We are unlikely to discover ‘the gene makes you good at math’

8. 3. Confidentiality & Consent
• In medical ethics, a great deal of importance is placed on the
idea of individual informed consent
– One aspect of this is that your personal health information is not
supposed to be released without your consent
– But the nature of genetic information sometimes gets in the way of
this
– Finding out genetic information about you also reveals genetic
information about the people you’re related to

9. GENETIC TECHNOLOGY
• It has evolved from the facts that defects in
the gene can produce or deficiencies in the
gene products leading to disease or
disorders.

10. Eugenics
• “Improvement of hereditary qualities of a
people.” – Eugenics.
• It a social philosophy which advocates the
improvement of human hereditary traits through
various forms of intervention .
• The word Eugenics derive from the Greek
word EU – Good and the suffix gene (Borns)
was coined by Sir Francis Galton in 1883.
• The study of improving a species by artificial
selection , usually refers to the selective
breeding of humans.

11. • There is often a desire to improve human
hereditary by
 selecting and increasing the beneficial
qualities.
Removing or reducing harmful ones.
 Eugenics can be
- Positive
- Negative

12. Positive and Negative Eugenics
• Positive – deals with the development of a new person
through the selection of genotypes from persons
possessing exceptional physical and mental qualities.
• Negative – prevention of
breeding and reproduction for
‘undesirable’ characteristics:
• Prevention of inter-racial marriage
• Sterilization

13. Ethical issues – Genetics and
Eugenics
• Right to decide what may be done to his gene
or his children's gene to prevent or treat disease.
• Right to know his genetic abnormalities which
are not apparent now but later may become
evident in disease many years later?.
• Has the specialist the right to refuse to give the
information.
• Has the specialist the right to divulge the
information to spouse / third party.

14. Contd…
• Can the employer ask for the genome mao
of the employee and discharge the employee
, If found genes which gives possible
behavioral characteristics?
• Is it ethical to experiment on embryo or
unborn baby?