{"id":156858,"date":"2016-11-20T09:32:03","date_gmt":"2016-11-20T14:32:03","guid":{"rendered":"\/news\/?p=156858"},"modified":"2016-11-17T13:47:41","modified_gmt":"2016-11-17T18:47:41","slug":"in-pursuit-of-perfection-will-we-sacrifice-what-it-means-to-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/in-pursuit-of-perfection-will-we-sacrifice-what-it-means-to-love\/","title":{"rendered":"In pursuit of perfection, will we sacrifice what it means to love?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Save the Storks<\/a>)\u00a0In April of 2003, Dr. Francis Collins announced the completion of the Human Genome Project. As a result, advances in science and healthcare have progressed with lightning speed.<\/p>\n

The promise of the genomic era is here, and with it comes a growing plethora of ethical challenges.<\/b><\/p>\n

Genetic tests are developing rapidly and are helping to identify gene mutations that increase the risk of hereditary diseases. Along with improvements in genetic testing and increased knowledge of the complexity of DNA, researchers are identifying ways to predict, prevent and individualize treatments for many individuals who test positive for high risk mutations. In my specialty of hematology\/oncology (cancer and diseases of the blood), we are able to identify individuals with hereditary hemochromatosis (a hereditary disorder that results in iron depositing in abnormal amounts that can lead to organ damage or diabetes), or individuals who are at high risk of developing breast cancer due to mutations in the\u00a0BRCA1<\/i>\u00a0genes.<\/p>\n

In situations where hereditary disorders like these two are identified, healthcare providers can incorporate early screening, patient education, or, in some cases, initiate preventative interventions. For example, Angelina Jolie made headlines in 2015 when she decided to have surgery to reduce her chances of developing breast cancer. After losing her mother at a young age to ovarian cancer, Ms. Jolie found she carries a mutated copy of the\u00a0BRCA1\u00a0<\/i>gene. Women who carry this mutation have a 60-90% chance of developing breast cancer, and a 40-60% chance of ovarian cancer.<\/p>\n

So what does this have to do with reproductive politics?\u00a0<\/b>A lot. You see, just as there are more advanced genetic tests in areas like blood disease and cancer, there are more advanced genetic screening panels in the prenatal setting as well. Genetic panels can detect not only Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), but also Trisomy 18 (Edwards Syndrome), Trisomy 13 (Patau Syndrome), cystic fibrosis, fragile X, and a multitude of sex chromosome abnormalities.<\/p>\n

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