Diagnosis Before Manifestation

As I ate my cereal before leaving for university this week, I switched on Sky News. As the news reporter spoke about the tax rise, I read the breaking news banner running across the bottom of the screen. A statement from the Human Genetics Commission was quoted as them having given "ethical approval" for pre-pregnancy testing in their published report: in short, they saw no problem with parents knowing in advance if their child was at risk of a genetic condition. There had been support for and opposition to this idea for a while now and it will probably cause a divide in opinion for a very long time. For families that have a known history of genetic illness, genetic testing already happens but a government minister this week fuelled the debate, saying that the tests should be more widely available.

I have some issues with this proposal. For one thing, what would be the point of the testing? If it were to help parents plan their future in caring for an ill or disabled child then it is no doubt for the better; however would a parent that simply didn't want to have to experience the hassle of around-the-clock care, as is needed for many genetic diseases, be allowed to abort with no strings attached?

The director of Human Genetics Alert stated that wider availability of the tests may lead to "young people being stigmatised and becoming unmarriageable". I hadn't previously thought of this point; what are we saying about the value of disabled people in society if we want more availability for the tests? And is there a possibility that people will begin choosing marriage partners based on their DNA in order to avoid having a child at risk of a genetic disease?

The proposals will most likely take a long time to come into force, if they ever do. The question is, how widespread will they become? Will I have to sell these tests in my pharmacy over the counter in a few decades' time? I sincerely hope not; I believe that the tests should stay under the watch of healthcare professionals, who will know the methods and implications of use, and be used on an individual case-by-case basis.