<p style="line-height: 19.0400009155273px;">In recent weeks, there’s been talk of three types of genetic testing transitioning from targeted populations to the general public: carrier screens for recessive diseases, tests for BRCA mutations, and non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) to spot extra chromosomes in fetuses from DNA in the maternal bloodstream.</p>
<p style="line-height: 19.0400009155273px;"><span style="line-height: 19.0400009155273px;">Are these efforts the leading edge of a new eugenics movement? It might appear that way, but I think not.</span></p>
<p style="line-height: 19.0400009155273px;"><span style="line-height: 19.0400009155273px;">When I began providing genetic counseling 30 years ago at CareNet, a large ob/gyn practice in Schenectady, NY, few patients were candidates for testing: pregnant women of “advanced maternal age” (35+), someone with a family history of a single-gene disorder or whose ethnic background was associated with higher prevalence of a specific inherited disease. Their risks justified the cost and potential dangers of the tests.</span></p>
<p style="line-height: 19.0400009155273px;"><span style="line-height: 19.0400009155273px;"><strong style="line-height: 19.0400009155273px;">The Alden March Bioethics Institute offers a Master of Science in Bioethics, a Doctorate of Professional Studies in Bioethics, and Graduate Certificates in Clinical Ethics and Clinical Ethics Consultation. For more information on AMBI's online graduate programs, please visit our <a href="/Academic/bioethics/index.cfm">website</a>.</strong></span></p>
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