Genetic Testing And Its Social Implications

13 Pages 3160 Words

enetic counselors who will use these tests in the future, should be well informed about newly emerging tests.
2. Extremely accurate genetic tests can only be developed by thorough experimentation on human subjects. Although there is generally no physiological risk in experimenting a person, the subjects should be informed that the applied test is not entirely reliable and in experimentation state. Informing subjects of experimentation is an obligation set by the Nuremberg Code. Just after World War II it was discovered that unethical experiments had been performed on humans who were kept in concentration camps of Nazi Germany. This situation was discovered in Nuremberg Trials, and ethical and legal standards for medical experimentation were set then. Research and common medical procedures are distinct concepts. If a genetic test’s validity has been proven by extensive research and the test being used as a routine medical procedure to diagnose patients, it is no more considered as experimental and is not covered by the Nuremberg Code. Nevertheless, the patient should be well informed and his consent should be taken even before applying a routine test. The subject of the test should fully understand the nature of the test and the consequences that may arise from it. The subject of the test should be fully aware of the nature of the test and the consequences caused by the test. Therefore, a professional counselor is needed to psychologically counsel and inform the subjects both before and after the test is taken. Sometimes, the person taking the test cannot give an informed consent when it is a small child or mentally retarded person. In this case, it is still required to take consent of the parents or legal guardians. The tests should only be applied for vital medical reasons. For example, it is not very ethical to test a young girl for a sex linked genetic disease. Because it is intensely related with the future life of the girl, her...