On October 25th, Time Magazine ran an article about genetic testing of children with the provocative title, “What Your Doctor Isn’t Telling You About Your DNA.” The piece begins by describing a dilemma in the cytogenomics lab at Children’ s Hospital of Philadelphia: a mutation for early-onset dementia is picked up through what the article describes as ‘genome analysis’ (it was microarray, actually) of a sick baby. The doctors at CHOP, absent any notion of the family’s preferences, decide that it is not in their best interest to have this information forced upon them – a choice that has drawn the ire of a number of prominent voices in the blogosphere. “Nice to know that two physicians in Philadelphia not only have medical degrees, but specialize in mind-reading”, says Razib Khan in a post for Discover Magazine.
Bam! That noise you hear is the sound of a thousand genetic counselors smacking their foreheads in unison. Really? Why are they struggling with this after the fact? Where was the pre-test counseling?
View the original article here: Time Magazine is Raising Questions about Genetic Testing for Minors– Do Genetic Counselors Have Any Answers to Give Them?