General Ethical Dilemmas

Many of the general ethical dilemmas which arise in relation to genetic testing are not exclusive to this technology. As with all new developments in medicine, it is an ethical requirement that genetic tests are of proven safety and efficacy and that the benefits outweigh the risks and burdens before they are introduced into routine clinical practice. The stage at which technology moves from research to clinical application is as much an issue for genetic testing as it is for new treatments for cancer or heart disease. Those who believe that humanity exists as part of a divine plan may object to genetic testing on the basis that it seeks to interfere with natural processes or is a further manifestation of human hubris. Doctors are frequently accused of playing God'. If this were to mean that humankind should refrain from decision making about life or death, almost every kind of medical intervention would be precluded. We, however, be able.to draw boundaries which separate inter-. vent ions which are justified from those which are not. People who do not accept an absolutist religious position may nevertheless be unhappy about the attempts of humans to take ever greater control over their lives and the lives of their off spring. While we must accept that society has probably now lost the concept of children being born 'as nature intended', the continual striving for new developments in medical technology and ways of prolonging and improving life can sometimes manifest itself in what seems to some an almost obsessiveness for immortality or control. From another perspective, however, it has been suggested that increased genetic self awareness 'will help bring about the more rational attitude towards the inevitability of death of which modern societies (and healthcare systems) are in great need'.