Unlike the example of hemachromatosis, there is nothing you can do about the results. All you can do now is worry that you may get the disease. That's what it is like now for many people who have genetic dispositions to problems. But this idea does fly in the face of something we cherish in our culture, and very much in our medical culture, which says that all knowledge is good. But not everyone agrees.
Some people say they want to know.
Burke tells the story of how she was telling a relative that she did not think it was wise to let members of the general public know whether they had the APOE 4 tendency. It may be my right. Maybe I'd want to know. And that last sentence is the problem. The test does not offer certainty.