Tuesday, July 20, 2004

Genetic screening and . . .

Amy Harmon has a good article in today's N.Y. Times about genetic screening -- pre- and post-conception -- and (i) the lack of uniform professional standards for when to offer screening, (ii) the lack of government regulation of the field, and (iii) the growing belief that prospective parents are entitled at least to the information about which tests are available, which ones are covered by insurance, and what the risks are whichever way parents decide to go. Right now, its the Wild, Wild West, but the combined forces of consumer demand, tort law's search for evolving professional standards, and the self-protective instincts of professional societies suggest that there's going to be a new marshal in town, sooner rather than later.

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