Societal Implications and Applications
There are many societal implications and applications that can be related to the concept of genetic disorders. Listed below are some key current issues in the field of genetic disorders and genetic testing. These issues are displayed in relation to their corresponding lesson topic. Possible means of incorporating these issues into the unit can be found by clicking on the culminating task link at the bottom of the page.
Gene Therapy
Gene therapy raises many ethical issues along with many questions regarding its safety and impact of future generations. Currently, gene therapy is being used to target a person's specific body cells, such as bone marrow or blood cells. Although technically the use of gene therapy does result in the alteration of a patients set of basic instructions (or genes), it remains isolated to that person and is not passed down to future generations. The use of gene therapy in egg and sperm is referred to as germline gene therapy and may affect furture generations down the line, raising many questions regarding ethics and safety. Although the hope is that germline gene therapy main save future generations from genetic disorders and/or mutations, there is also the fear that it may affect the development of the fetus. There is also the issue of consent, which is something a fetus does not have the capability of giving. Finally, there is also the concern around a patients immune response to the insertion of a foreign gene. The death of Jesse Gelsinger in 1999 from such an immune response brought this issue to light and stopped all experimental trials of gene therapy for years.
As there are many resources and viewpoints regarding this topic online, students can easily investigate this issue from multiple viewpoints. Please click below to be redirected to the lesson(s) corresponding to this issue. |
Insurance Discrimination Due To Genetic Testing
There are many fears associated with genetic testing and with good reason. Although it may pave the way for early detection and intervention, it may also open the door to discrimination based on results. One possibility is that insurance companies may refuse policies or increase policy costs based on results of genetic testing. Students can easily investigate the outcome of this possibility while incorporating their knowledge of probability of occurrence and prevalence through a given community in order to examine this issue from multiple viewpoints. Please click below to be redirected to the lesson corresponding to this issue.
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Health Care Discrimination Due To Genetic Testing
One of the current fears surrounding the issue of genetic testing is on how the resulting information may be used, or misused, by those who acquire it. A recent debate that seems to be circulating around the genetic testing community is one involving the possibility of financial responsibility surrounding genetic disorders. With an ever-shrinking health care budget coupling with an ever increasing need for health services, many people question whether or not those who know they may be giving birth to a child with a genetic disorder should shoulder the medical cost associated with it if the child is indeed born with this disorder. This raises many ethical issues, from the topic of abortion to the topic of community responsibility and the distribution of health care services to the topic of universal health care.
As there are many resources and viewpoints regarding this topic online, students can easily investigate this issue from multiple viewpoints. Please click below to be redirected to the lesson corresponding to this issue. |
Employment Discrimination Due To Genetic Testing
Although it is common knowledge that there is currently a mandate against discrimination in the workplace due to a disability, people are often unaware of a policy for discrimination due to a person's genetic makeup and as such, this issue commonly falls under the use and misuse of genetic knowledge. Public fear revolves around the possibility of being denied a job or position due to the possibility of developing or having a genetic disorder. Although the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) was finally put into practice in January of 2011, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 726 charges have been filed under GINA as of September 2012. Furthermore, GINA does not apply in many circumstances, including but not limited to, companies with under 15 employees and the US military.
As there are many resources and viewpoints regarding this topic online, students can easily investigate this issue from multiple viewpoints. Please click below to be redirected to the lesson corresponding to this issue. |
Please click below for an example of a culminating assignment that can be used to introduce many of the societal implications and applications of this topic of the curriculum.