So, for example, when a person is found to be carrying the marker for juvenile diabetes, their chances of developing that condition are much greater than if they were not carrying that marker. In and of itself, this is a great advancement. Among Jews in the U.S. and Canada, the incidence of the disease has dropped more than 90 percent since 1970. Amniocentesis is now available for pregnant women who wish to determine if their unborn child is carrying the marker for Down syndrome, as well as other disabling or disfiguring conditions. Because of these advancements, genetic testing is routinely done in hospitals and sperm banks.
Many parents are unaware that their newborns are screened for up to nine inherited disorders.
And that backs genetic screening into the jaws of the abortion debate. Beyond this emotional issue, however, lies a more serious problem. As genetic screening becomes more advanced and refined, its potential for abuse becomes greater. For example, one reason doctors are performing genetic screening of newborns is to avoid litigation charging failure to inform. The presence of a genetic marker does not guarantee that the carrier will develop the condition, nor can it determine the onset of the condition or the severity of it.