I have been interested in getting my DNA tested for a while but last semester we talked about it in our sociology class and ever since then, I have been reluctant about getting it done. In that class, we talked about how the different governments could potentially use all of that information against us in the form of clones or to use the information to make a disease that no human could combat. These types of tests could tell us about our ancestry and what cultures make us who we are which I think is pretty cool. It can also tell us about the genes that we have the predispose us to certain diseases like diabetes. The tests can also tell you about certain traits that you have that aren’t necessarily life or death. For example, it can tell you whether or not your hair is more likely to lighten in the sun or what the odds of you liking a certain taste or smell are. How do they do this you might ask? Companies like 23 & Me take samples of your saliva and deliver it to a lab where they extract DNA from the saliva sample and process it on a genotyping chip. I personally believe that the results are accurate because the samples are run through a computer program that does the same thing every time.
If I were to take a DNA test and find out that I had a disease that would make me die prematurely, I think that it would cause me to change how I am living. I think we all have a habit of living our lives like we have time because we often say “I’ll do it tomorrow” or “It can wait until later” but if we realize that our time is limited, I think everyone would live their life much differently. As far as ethics goes, the only way that it would be ethical for these DNA testing companies to use our samples for research would be if we gave them consent. There are some people out there who wouldn’t mind having their DNA used to help cure diseases, but only if their permission was given. I do believe that DNA testing will be required in the future just because of its insight into all of the different variants that could be behind different health disorders.
23andMe. (n.d.). DNA Genetic Testing & Analysis. Retrieved from https://www.23andme.com/?new=true