Genetic counseling

Current issues in assisted reproduction and genetic counseling

The specter of the Eugenics movements still hangs over current issues in reproduction. These issues are particularly acute in couples who believe in choice for abortion and high tech assisted reproduction, and who desire children but plan a limited number of offspring. In such cases, especially when there is a family history of genetic disease, parents may be asked if they are willing to accept a pregnancy without checking for a diagnosis that may mean the baby will either die in infancy or have a severe disease or disability, or be faced with results of such tests that indicate probabilities only and no real certainty of extreme disability. For example, the most common abnormalities in chromosomal number (aneuploidy) include Down syndrome and Turner syndrome.

Even more controversial are tests for conditions in which there may be a specific isolated disabilty, like sensory hearing loss so severe as to preclude normal speech and language development without a cochlear implant, but unlikely to cause any other problem.

With the ability to test for for genetic and chromosomal abnormalities that are associated with disease, many fathers, mothers, and physicians struggle with the ethical implications of selective reproduction.