It did not take DNA long to get complicated. We are thrilled and delighted that bad guys will be put behind bars via the “open-source” databases and other DNA repositories, and people are fighting mad over the controversy with comments like: “If you are not guilty of a crime you should not mind helping” etc. For the medical, the same high horse answers are heard: “They will use this medical information fairly and for good, why not?”
But now I “hear” via the DNA rumor mill that some relatives of suspected criminals are being ASKED to test just so the law can see if they have the right suspect. Now I don’t know about you, but if it turns out I have a relative that is a serial killer and maybe she or he might think that my DNA could throw them behind bars? There is a lot to think about if your relative might think about this also and kill everyone with his or her DNA to match. Ok, that is way overboard.
I have added my DNA in all the places where they search for criminals and where DNA for medical research is being conducted. But we do need to at least really think about what all the medical has already told us and what this might mean for us. The medical issue is called pre-existing conditions and even in countries with national health systems – we all understand – if a person has a 25% chance of survival – (that is my pulling figures out of the air to illustrate the point) do we think the health system will pour 10s of 1,000s of dollars of treatments for a walking dead person?
I remember the day my brother signed a ‘do not resuscitate’ on my mother – it was in less than 30 minutes she was moved to a room with nothing – no gizmos to save her life – only the oxygen was left – soon that went also.
I comfort myself while reading my DNA medical results with ice cream and chocolate, and once my brilliant physician pooh poohed the mere idea of DNA for medical readings. I should have gotten a new doctor and had a brandy for dessert.
But as a senior, the odds are I have missed most of the possible maladies already but this makes me think about where all these advancements have gotten us without any of us hardly noticing.
You can test a fetus before it is born and before you would get that far you can test your prospective spouse or fertility mate, not only for viable reproduction abilities but also have a look at their genes and decide if you want to have children with them or not – if any person should consider sterilizing themselves and never have children.
And I thought about it all again – about myself. Would I, should I have been aborted as a fetus? Should I or anyone have children depending on the results?
We are there. For the holidays while you decide if it is time to buy her an engagement ring, maybe you can add a DNA test to the stocking that will tell you about your DNA and how it would/could effect any offspring. You can google it. You do need a physician to get results and it is not allowed in certain US states – I am not sure about the wider world –
Now several fetuses have been sequenced. Is that the right way to term it? For this purpose?
It is not new that Ultra Sound and blood tests have shown illness of several kinds in a fetus and this is of course a good thing. If you want to scream over abortion or not – this is not my story here and go away – that is totally separate issue.
This is about people who can and will use this in the womb and after. I would hate to be the the child of the mom who had read my DNA for medical – lord – we both would probably wind up neurotics – which is my point.
I am past medicare age and I did not get much of what the genes say I might get. Until I got Thyroid disease about age 50 I was strong and healthy. Except for some respiratory issues and later a Cancer after smoking cigarettes for 44 years I have had good health – now just creaking bones ache.
But if you read my DNA for medical – I wonder if I would have been aborted?
And because of the time of year – many are on sale! These are from the Helix store.
DNA for Medical overall reading from a Mayo Clinic group. Males and females, couples or not; having families or not. Not available in many places – ask.
CarrierCheck will help you look at yourself from a medical standpoint – you will need a doctor to work with you on the results – if i read this correctly and not available in some US states – write and ask for the wider world. One might want to recoil at the idea, but this is associated with Mount Sinai Medical.
Also a test not available in some places but this will help parents know of one possible toxin is in the mother’s breast milk
Of course with (some) DNA raw data, one can do an upload to some companies to share your data for research; with others when you share your data you receive information about your health.
You give yours and they research
You give your raw data and can buy a report on some medical information
This test is listed as entertainment.
Maybe Santa will bring me the one from Mayo Clinic!
The gross hospital photo. 2014 and survived Lung Cancer surgery thanks to the great staff of M. Blair Marshall at Georgetown University Hospital. As a survivor with pre-existing conditions the idea of reading genes is a two-edged sword. Maybe there are those with Cancer prone tendency genes – I suppose if those cannot be turned off, if such a thing were there, then those fetuses would not be acceptable. The deals made with insurance, medical and pharmaceutical companies is out of the hands of people and in the hands of financial concerns.
