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The genetic testing of children

  • Chapter
The Ethics of Genetic Screening

Abstract

The importance of genetic diseases in childhood has grown over the course of this century as that of infectious diseases and malnutrition has diminished, at least in developed countries. Accordingly, many of the children now requiring medical attention are recognised as suffering from genetic conditions. Making the diagnosis of a genetic disorder in an affected child is therefore a standard clinical activity. Establishing such a diagnosis has traditionally depended upon finding evidence of the disease process but is increasingly turning to genetic investigations that identify the underlying, genetic cause of the disorder. Such genetic tests can be carried out on any tissue and at any age, from conception onwards, because they do not depend upon the condition having manifested itself in any way. It is therefore possible to identify healthy children who will, in the future, develop a genetic disease; it is also possible to identify those who are healthy carriers of a disease which will never affect them but which may be of relevance to their own future children.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Medical Genetics, University of Wales, Cardiff, Wales

    Angus Clarke

Authors
  1. Angus Clarke
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Professional Ethics, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, Lancashire, UK

    Ruth Chadwick

  2. School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK

    Darren Shickle

  3. School of Medical Sciences, Catholic University of Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Henk Ten Have

  4. Medical Ethics, Eberhard-Karls University, Tübingen, Germany

    Urban Wiesing

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© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Clarke, A. (1999). The genetic testing of children. In: Chadwick, R., Shickle, D., Ten Have, H., Wiesing, U. (eds) The Ethics of Genetic Screening. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9323-6_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9323-6_21

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-5178-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-015-9323-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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