Six months pregnant, an expectant mother had a routineultrasound that showed that the limbs of the fetus wereunusually short. Her physician suspected that the babymight have a genetic form of dwarfism called achondroplasia,an autosomal dominant trait occurring with a frequency of about1 in 27,000 births. The parents were directed to a genetic counselorto discuss this diagnosis. In the conference, they learnedthat achondroplasia is caused by a mutant allele. Sometimes itis passed from one generation to another, but in 80 percent ofall cases it is the result of a spontaneous mutation that arisesin a gamete of one of the parents. They also learned that mostchildren with achondroplasia have normal intelligence and a normallife span. It has been suggested that prenatal genetic testing for achondroplasiabe made available and offered to all women. Wouldyou agree with this initiative? What ethical considerationswould you consider when evaluating the medical and societalconsequences of offering such testing?
Six months pregnant, an expectant mother had a routine
ultrasound that showed that the limbs of the fetus were
unusually short. Her physician suspected that the baby
might have a genetic form of dwarfism called achondroplasia,
an autosomal dominant trait occurring with a frequency of about
1 in 27,000 births. The parents were directed to a genetic counselor
to discuss this diagnosis. In the conference, they learned
that achondroplasia is caused by a mutant allele. Sometimes it
is passed from one generation to another, but in 80 percent of
all cases it is the result of a spontaneous mutation that arises
in a gamete of one of the parents. They also learned that most
children with achondroplasia have normal intelligence and a normal
life span.
It has been suggested that prenatal genetic testing for achondroplasia
be made available and offered to all women. Would
you agree with this initiative? What ethical considerations
would you consider when evaluating the medical and societal
consequences of offering such testing?
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