...to nondirective counseling. It has no requirement to value-neutrality. The counselor’s values are expressed to undermine patients’ ability to make decisions for them. Autonomy respect in genetic counseling requires no greater circumspection about values than in any other counseling in health care (Robert Wachbroit & David Wasserman, 1995). Value neutrality is argued to be neither possible nor desirable but arises from conceptions of fewer objectives and less suitable values for public discourse. Nondirectiveness requires the counselor to adopt the most effective methods in ensuring that the choices of the patients about genetic testing are well informed and voluntary. Patients should be made to understand and appropriately respond to the results of genetic tests and diagnoses. The nondirective approach stipulates that the appropriate response is the one from the patient herself as long as it results from the fact that she understands the facts and reflects her values truly. Nondirective genetic counseling ensures that patients are well aware of genetic risks and their freedom of choosing whether or not to go for testing and ways of responding to positive test results. This is the respect for patient autonomy. On the contrary, value neutrality...
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...Genetic Testing and Implications of Federal Law Regulations In today’s economy, companies are scared of having any negative publicity to ruin their name and try at all costs of preventing this from happening. When companies invade employee’s privacy they have violated the federal government’s guidelines of what is ethical and not ethical. The genetic testing for Huntington’s disease is a new emerging field of science that allows for individuals to know what medical conditions they are predisposed to however the federal government has established laws that state clearly the individual has to give consent and without consent these medical tests violates their medical privacy’s rights. “There are three major types of genetic tests: biochemical, cytogenetic, and molecular.” (Beery, 2014, p. 71) In this case study, the two types of genetic tests were biochemical and molecular. Biochemical test uses enzymes in the blood to see if the enzyme reacts to a certain subject and if does shows what the genetic dispose for that disease. The molecular genetic testing is looking more at the DNA of the person and having to see which DNA sequence leads to the medical disorder. The benefits for Reiger is knowing that what in his body are the cause of the newly discovered condition of Huntington’s disease (HD) and having the correct medical advice on his condition. However, there are more drawbacks for Reiger knowing about his condition from the genetic testing. Scuffham and MacMillan (2014)...
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...Genetic testing is currently available for more than 1000 conditions, and it is increasingly considered an integral component of mainstream health care (Burke, 2004). Furthermore, many genetic tests are now being marketed directly to consumers. The increased availability of genetic testing may result in a wider distribution of the benefits of testing, such as decreased uncertainty, the chance to avoid passing on a gene mutation to future generations, increased psychological well-being, and greater awareness of available treatments or risk-reducing strategies, but it may also contribute to an increase in the risks associated with genetic testing, such as decreased individual and family well-being; increased depression, anxiety, guilt, stigmatization, discrimination, and family conflict; and unnecessary or inappropriate use of risk-reducing options (Riper & Gallo, 2005). Money is maybe the most important driving force in the modern era of biotechnology. Genome and genetic findings have been given also financial value. The possibility to test for genetically-based individual susceptibility provides new ideas for marketable products. In an industrial worker, a metabolic polymorphism that causes an increased risk for cancer would create an avoidable financial burden in industry and insurance companies. The involvement of such financial aspects brings along several ethical implications in genetic research. The first aspect is the motivation of scientists that...
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... Chapter Opener What Information Is in a Human Genome? Clinical Connection 1.1 Exome Sequencing Saves a Boy’s Life Bioethics: Choices for the Future Genetic Testing and Privacy CHAPTER OVERVIEW Chapter 1 provides a glimpse of the basic concepts of genetics and genomics, and offers examples of DNA information impacting daily life. In this new era of genomics, individuals have access to their own genetic information, and health care providers are learning how to incorporate DNA data into diagnostic and therapeutic medicine. Bioethics deals with issues of privacy, discrimination, and justice that arise from use and misuse of genetic information. DNA, genes, chromosomes, and genomes are the levels of genetic information, and they impact biology at the cell, tissue, organ, individual, family, and population levels. Genes encode proteins, and the exome is the small part of the genome that does so. Most traits arise from interactions of genes and environmental factors. Genetic information is in health care to identify individuals, in investigating the environment, and in understanding evolution. CHAPTER OUTLINE 1.1 Introducing Genes and Genomes 1. Genetics is a branch of biology concerned with inherited traits and their variation, and how these traits are passed from one generation to the next (heredity). 2. With continuing analysis of human genome sequences, human genetics has grown from a largely academic...
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... * ------------------------------------------------- Version List ------------------------------------------------- Recent History * ------------------------------------------------- 2006 13.386 New 2006 c 253 s 1 * ------------------------------------------------- 2013 Subd. 3 Amended 2013 c 82 s 3 * ------------------------------------------------- 2012 Subd. 4 New 2012 c 292 art 4 s 1 13.386 TREATMENT OF GENETIC INFORMATION HELD BY GOVERNMENT ENTITIES AND OTHER PERSONS. § Subdivision 1.Definition. (a) "Genetic information" means information about an identifiable individual derived from the presence, absence, alteration, or mutation of a gene, or the presence or absence of a specific DNA or RNA marker, which has been obtained from an analysis of: (1) the individual's biological information or specimen; or (2) the biological information or specimen of a person to whom the individual is related. (b) "Genetic information" also means medical or biological information collected from an individual about a particular genetic condition that is or might be used to provide medical care to that individual or the individual's family members. § Subd. 2.Private...
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...Is There Any Genetic Evidence to Explain Why Musical Prodigies Exist? Kristina Vianca Constantino Tabuena San Diego Miramar College Abstract By definition, one is considered a musical child prodigy if he or she possesses an exceptional ability, at a professional level, for music at a young age. Musical ability is defined as the capacity for music perception and production. This is really interesting because the children looks like they have been hand-picked by nature to have these gifts since they have parents who are just like any of us. This phenomenon has been known for a long time, however, there are only a few researches that have been done about this and that is why we hardly understand why musical geniuses exist and how come it is not common at all. Some theories suggest that prodigies are linked to autism. Some of these children have been treated as subjects for long-term researches to find any genetic factors that will link a trait that characterizes being a musical prodigy. The phenomenon of musical geniuses is a product of both genetic factors, as seen in their family background and link to autism, and environmental factors like family support and their devotion to practice. Methods I chose this topic because I find musical prodigies very interesting. I already started researching about them since I have been watching documentaries and following news about them. I watched a documentary about a polyglot, a master of multiple languages, named Tim Doner and I...
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...“Inappropriate genetic testing can threaten individual autonomy, privacy, and confidentiality and lead to various types of genetic stigmatization and discrimination without any commensurate benefit for the individual tested,” (Brandt; Rauf, 2004). When Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) tested their employees without the employees knowing about it, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) stepped in and cited that BNSF violated the employee’s equal rights through discrimination and the employee’s rights of privacy. These actions “raise serious concerns that such testing could pose a significant threat to workers' privacy, autonomy, and dignity. Thus, defining the ethically, legally, and socially appropriate and inappropriate uses of genetic testing in the workplace,” (DEHS, 2001) presents a major breach in a workers legal right to privacy. One hundred and twenty-five BNSF employees filed on-the-job injury claims citing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) for “years of repetitive activity such as wielding a wrench or operating a jackhammer,” (Lehrer, 2001; UNK, 2001). While investigating these claims, BNSF medical doctor required further testing of 20 employees (UNK, 2001). The medical company pulled blood for genetic testing without telling the BNSF employees what kind of test that they were performing, (Mahanna, 2001; Schafer, 2001; BNSF, 2002; Lehrer, 2001; Lewin, 2002). One employee refused to submit to the tests and BNSF threatened to terminate his job (Lewin;...
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...GENETICS CASE STUDY GENETICS CASE STUDY This case study is based on a high-risk pregnancy due to advanced maternal age, genetic test indicating the fetus to have Tay-Sachs Disease and the coping strategies for this family. Rita Trosack is a 43-year old white female, married for six years to husband, Peter, a 46-year old white male. They both work in the financial district of Chicago and live downtown. They have been trying to conceive for two years. They both work an average of sixty hours a week. Rita and Peter were both raised as Catholics; however, they choose not to practice at this time. Rita missed her menstrual period, began having typical signs and symptoms of pregnancy (nausea, dry heaving, tender breasts, and fatigue). The fatigue was so severe she decreased her hours at the bank. An early pregnancy test performed by Rita tested positive. She then calculated her due date as January 27, 2009, since her last menstrual period (LMP) began on April 20, 2008. Rita met with Dr. Zimmerly an obstetrician in a high-risk obstetric clinic. On this first visit he confirmed the estimated date of delivery (EDD) as late January 2009. Due to Rita’s age, the chorionic villus sampling (CVS) was recommended to screen for fetal genetic defects. Rita had the test in early July, which would place her around eleven weeks into her pregnancy; this is the appropriate time in which to perform the CVS. Amniocentesis could have been performed, but this is usually...
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...Genetic Testing and the Human GMO The controversies surrounding genetic testing, patenting and the modification of genes both as used in disease treatment and genetic enhancement are on the verge of becoming larger realities. I Intro The initial draft of the Human Genome project is now completed, giving access to the DNA sequences of a human. But it is not the genetic information that is shared that has come under the greatest degree of interest. Rather, the estimated .001% of variance in the genetic code is the subject of recent and expanding controversy; it is our difference not similarities that are most subject to controversy. One such controversy involves the genetic screening of potential employees, to spot potential problematic areas in their genetic make up. Similarly insurance companies may screen clients before deciding what category of clientele to put them in based on genetic risk factors. But the greatest controversies come with the fact that our genetic make up is alterable. There is substantial research being done on how human diseases can be treated using genetic procedures to replace faulty genes, but who stands to profit from this and what are the potential risks? Furthermore, can a treatment based on human genetic information (which is shared by all) be subject to the same patent laws as are other commonly used medicinal tools and methods? And perhaps the most controversial is the prospect of enhancing humans using genetically fostered techniques...
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...Sneaking a Peek, Sometime Cost You: Genetic Testing a Price to Pay Sneaking a Peek, Sometime Cost You: Genetic Testing a Price to Pay When signing the dotted line, we give away a lot. The words printed, the ink dries and we have committed to a legal contract that specific roles will be assumed and expectation do follow. The contract starts a line of trust that we often do not acknowledge until this trust is broken or affirmed. In the case study regarding Danville Airlines, Human Resource Director Julie Taylor and Pilot David Reiger a trust test was given, result were discovered, and now decision will have to be made because sneaking a peek into the lives of others sometime will cost you. What the cost? Only with time they will know as we discuss what laws, feelings and interpretation affect the rights and trust between employer and employee. The study title Danville Airlines presented the scenario of a 42 year old pilot, David Reiger, whom father recently passed away from Huntington Diseases (Mead & Wicks, 2004). The disease is heredity and children of parent with the disease have 50% chance of inheriting the gene (Semaka, Balneaves, & Hayden, 2013). Reiger found out he had the gene after undergoing a required screening by Danville Airlines and Danville Airline secretly, without consent, tested for it. Now armed with this new information, Julie Taylor, the Human Resource Director have to make decision on her recommendation to the board of director...
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...conflicts of interest and ethical dilemmas that actuaries can face during their everyday work and careers. In particular we look at how genetic factors and rating criterion create conflict. We look at ethical conflict with respect to testimony, pension and reserve actuaries, and also how external watchdogs play a role in auditing actuaries’ decisions. We found that actuaries must always be alert and prepared to deal with these ethical conflicts. They must be aware that their actions can have an impact on the financial future of a company, the insurance rates of an individual, or otherwise could result in a problem for themselves. They must also be aware that there are external watchdogs in place to make sure they are not forging numbers but are instead making informed and accurate decisions. We recommend that students who intend to pursue actuarial studies take a course called Introduction to Actuarial Practice (MTHEL 131). We also recommend that the faculty should modify this course to put more weight on professionalism and ethics to emphasise the importance of the subject. This will educate students so they can make informed and ethically sound decisions in their future careers. Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………....…....…1 2.0 Methods…………………………………………………………………......…………....……3 3.0 Background Information……………………………………………………....………...….…4 4.0 Pension and Reserve Actuaries……………………………………………..........………....…4 5.1 Conflict of Interests………………………………………………...
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...Tay-Sachs Disease Foreword: Before beginning to read this review of the case study, please note that current events of today pertain more to preconception screening for genetic anomalies and genetic studies. Today due to preconception genetic screening many parents opt to terminate a fetus with fatal or painful anomalies; therefore a large portion of the research for parents who are expecting a child with Tay Sachs Disease was noted to be during an approximate 30 year span from the mid-1950’s to the early-mid 1980’s, thus older citings will be noted. “Tay-Sachs parents say that their child dies three times—when the disease is diagnosed, when the child enters the hospital, and the final time.” (Atwater, 1964) “How do you parent without a net, without a future, knowing that you will lose your child, bit by torturous bit?” (Rapp, 2011) Will it be a boy or a girl? What color will the eyes, the hair be? Whose smile will the baby have? These are just a few of the many questions that begin when parents find out they have conceived a child, and most of the time the questions only grow as the pregnancy progresses too; what will they want to be when they grow up? Who will they look like? Will they be strong, graceful, independent, or determined? Should we look at preschools and colleges now? It may not seem to occur very often that parents will say to themselves; we never thought about how we might parent a child without a future. Now instead of questions that may focus on the...
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...I.Table of Content II. Introduction The Human Genome Project (HGP) goal is to describe in intricate detail the Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from humans and other selected organisms. Because DNA is the information molecule that carries instructions for creating and maintaining all life, resources and analytical technologies generated by the HGP and other genetic research can be applied to the DNA of all organisms on earth. (Congressional Project, 1998) Gene tests. DNA-based tests are employed to diagnose a condition or estimate the likelihood for developing one, studies in Alzheimer's disease, (Atkins, E.R., 2010); Implications for Retinal Diseases Parapuram, S. K., Cojocaru, R. I., Chang, J. R., Khanna, R., Brooks, M., Othman, M., & Swaroop and A; (2010) and studies lead by team, led by (J. Craig Venter, 2010) at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, Md., sketched out a rough picture of part of the human genome by identifying segments of genes that are turned on in the brain. Test results already are being offered as evidence to support medical and nonmedical cases in courts, including medical malpractice, discrimination, privacy violations, child custody disputes, and criminal cases, medical disease discoveries. Gene tests according to the Congressional Digest (1998), involve direct examination of the DNA molecule. A DNA sample can be obtained from any tissue, including blood. To do a gene test, scientists scan the sample, looking...
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...Jones October 11, 2013 Abstract The purpose of this literature review is to identify, discuss, and address gender discrimination in the workplace. Due to the broad spectrum of research regarding gender discrimination, this paper will primarily focus on women and pregnancy discrimination. This paper will attempt to uncover the obstacles and challenges experienced by women as they are subjected to the employment process and, if accepted for employment, what could await them within their workplace once they begin working. The statistical data collected and compiled within this literature review will attempt to support and prove that discrimination still exists today. The laws and regulations enacted within the United States to protect employees from the discriminatory practices of employers and whether they are adequately enforced will be discussed at length. Introduction There are thousands of discriminatory cases each year brought against corporations and employers by their employees and/or formal employees. The discrimination against individuals on the basis of gender is most prominent within the employment process, but also exists in the workplace after the acceptance of employment. Gender has been the subject of workplace discrimination and litigation for many years and recent data indicates that this trend is continuing. These types of discrimination are spread widely to include the assignment of roles, responsibilities, pay rates, and promotions just to name a few...
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...Workplace wellness programs have gained an increasing spotlight in recent years with the introduction and eventual rollout of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), also known as Obamacare. These types of programs are organized, managed or sponsored by employers with a focus on enriching the lives and wellbeing of employees by improving their physical, mental, emotional and occupational health through education and awareness. The design of these incentive-based programs encourage and reward health conscious behavior such as healthy dietary habits, physical activity, stress management and smoking cessation as well as other disease prevention measures by providing financial incentive or other type of rewards for changing health-related behavior or improving measurable outcomes. Providing or endorsing these types of programs and absorbing the costs associated with the products and services, there must be an incentive for the company as well. It has been touted that these programs have long-term, positive implications for companies such as reducing healthcare costs associated with workplace injuries and occupational complications, increasing productivity, reducing absenteeism, improving employee morale and enhancing the general culture and environment within the workplace. The American Heart Association has reported that by 2030, 40% of Americans will have a diagnosed cardiovascular disease and direct medical costs to society will rise from $278 billion to...
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