DNA research: Incest revealed by tests
February 13, 2011
London (AP)
Sunday, February 13, 2011
What Kind Of Reaction When You Consume An Antacid
scientists conducting DNA tests on children with disabilities may inadvertently reveal cases of incest which lies a series of ethical issues requiring recommendations, according to American doctors. 
In a letter to the journal The Lancet, published Friday, Arthur Beaudet, the "Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, and colleagues report some thorny issues that the specialists working on the DNA of physically or intellectually disabled children may encounter. Sometimes scientists to analyze the DNA of these children, looking for elements that would enable them to understand the underlying disorders. Tests that could lead to identification of chromosomal how children born of two people having a close relationship. For authors, scientists could then be legally obliged to refer to the authorities, especially in the case of a minor parent.
"Many cases of incest are not listed so far could well be on patients with many disabilities," said Arthur Beaudet and have three of his colleagues.
"Many cases of incest are not listed so far could well be on patients with many disabilities," said Arthur Beaudet and have three of his colleagues.
"Clinicians who discover an incestuous relationship could probably be forced to notify the Protective Services for Children and possibly the police," they added, explaining that the pregnancy could be the result of sexual abuse. But when most mothers, their liability is less clear.
In a case of abuse sex, DNA tests are often used to prove incest. In the case of Europe's most abominable, the Austrian Josef Fritzl was convicted in 2009 of having locked his daughter in a dungeon for 24 years and having had seven children. He was jailed for life.
Beaudet and his colleagues have cited no studies on the frequency of this problem. But they suggest that institutions set up committees to discuss legal and ethical issues concerning DNA tests. They suggest that recommendations be made by American and European organizations dealing with issues related to genetics.
"I am absolutely certain that it will become a significant problem," said Ross Upshur, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Toronto. Ross Upshur is not a signatory of the letter. "The science is advancing so fast that we often discover information that we never imagined one day become as sensitive."
To read the rest of the article, click on the logo of Challenge.fr
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment