Attitudes toward Genetic Screening Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Attitudes toward Genetic Screening - Essay Example Advances in molecular genetics have brought about a situation whereby genetic testing has become a choice for deaf people along with their families. However, little research has been done on how genetic testing is viewed. A survey done by Brunger, et al., (2000) on the attitude of parents who had normal hearing but had children with hearing deficiencies indicated that 96% of them had a positive attitude towards genetic testing for deafness. It is however important to note that the parents surveyed expressed little understanding of genetics. 98 % were not able to rightly state the chance of the condition redeveloping in the life of the child. They also did not understand the basics of genetic inheritance. Basing the discussion on this survey, if the parents of the child agree to the use of in vitro genetic screening, then, for the procedure to be deemed ethical, it must be known if they do understand what it is and what it encompasses. If they do, then it can be deemed ethical. But if they do not understand, then that would be considered as unethical as it is like taking advantage of their lack of knowledge on the issue to perform a technique that will determine the life of their child. The World Federation of the Deaf (n.d.) states that the rights of any human being can only be appreciated through one’s own language and culture, a statement that is described as true to all persons including the deaf. In terms of the deaf, they have their own culture that is shown through their language, the sign language to be precise.