The Pros And Cons Of Genetic Testing

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Imagine for a second a world with the lowest rate of crime we’ve ever seen, the streets safe, property damage is at an all time low, war barely ever the word on anybodies lips, that sounds like a wonderful world to live in. All of this would be completely possible with the help of science. If we could determine our behavior by our genetics we could see which people could potentially be harmful and help to provide an environment in which we could possible change the outcome of their behavior. However, as a product of the rise in genetic testing and anxiety of discrimination by Health insurance companies, employers and society, this is a highly undesired solution. Not to mention the fact that this will not be free, this would be an expensive change in society. If we were able to determine behavior by our biological processes, we could utilize that information to make a better environment for adolescents, change an educational course to benefit kids, and potentially lower or eradicate crime.
There is a belief that there are two forms of
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The debate over these issues has historical roots. In the mid 1900’s individuals deemed mentally ill were sterilized without consent. This continued up until the 1970’s “Genetic discrimination continued until the 1970s, when several states in the US required mandatory testing for sickle cell disease among African Americans... African American children were required to undergo mandatory testing before entering school. Having sickle cell anaemia or being a carrier did not prevent a child from entering school. Refusal to participate in genetic testing did. The African American community, bioethicists, lawyers, and the medical profession viewed this as discrimination because other populations were not targeted for other possibly debilitating diseases.(Source #3) The fear that genetic testing would lead to more discrimination is yet another reason that this is not a popular