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Should worried parents be able to test their babies for diseases they may develop down the road, just because they’re curious? Should worried teens be able to screen themselves, without parental knowledge, for disorders that may manifest decades in their future? And what about delving into your kids’ DNA on your own, with the help of direct-to-consumer testing?
These are some of the difficult issues addressed by a new statement on genetic testing in children issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG).
The joint statement — a first for the two groups — acknowledges that genetic testing is evolving so rapidly that physicians need guidance navigating what can be an ethical, legal and social thicket. The guidelines are not binding, but rather recommendations for how physicians should ideally proceed as genetic testing grows increasingly more complex.
“Genetics is changing rapidly before our eyes,” says Dr. Lainie Friedman Ross, a professor of pediatrics and clinical ethics at the University of Chicago and the statement’s lead author. “From a general...
These are some of the difficult issues addressed by a new statement on genetic testing in children issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG).
The joint statement — a first for the two groups — acknowledges that genetic testing is evolving so rapidly that physicians need guidance navigating what can be an ethical, legal and social thicket. The guidelines are not binding, but rather recommendations for how physicians should ideally proceed as genetic testing grows increasingly more complex.
“Genetics is changing rapidly before our eyes,” says Dr. Lainie Friedman Ross, a professor of pediatrics and clinical ethics at the University of Chicago and the statement’s lead author. “From a general...