Genetic testing walks the line between “ignorance is bliss” and “knowledge is power” to where some people may find genetic information helpful and some people may be in a constant state of worry from too much information and prediction to the future. There is a different type of genetic testing that is available to people at a pretty affordable price, some are as simple as sending saliva out in the mail. 23 and me includes a guarantee to insight on “your ancestry, traits, and health” in order to “learn more about your past and make more informed decisions about your future”. While I think it is great to be informed about genetic mutations or abnormalities, I do not think genetic testing in that significant in future health. If a person is healthy and continues to be healthy, there is not too much they can do to prevent the initiable diseases they will have.
However, as described by Genetics Home Reference, on the other hand, genetic tests could give people answers that may them take their health more seriously, i.e. if one has the breast cancer gene, they may be more inclined to have annual mammograms and be proactive in getting regular checkups. It is also important to note that these tests may not be entirely accurate, especially the at-home tests because the swabs are sent off to be tested and not taken by medical professionals. There could also be contamination of samples would lead to inaccurate results.
I am not sure if I want to necessarily know every single genetic mutation that I have because I do not think I would be able to live my life without it being filled with anxiety. But now I already have anxiety writing this forum because I am thinking about all of the mutations I have and do not know about. So which anxiety wins? I think I would overall want to know because my life would completely change if I knew I was dying soon. I would live life more intentionally and be more aware of everything I was doing because I would not have a lot of time left.
I do not really know where I stand on my DNA being available to medical professionals. Personally, I do not really care if they have that information, but I do understand my opinion does not represent other people’s feelings especially when it comes to privacy. However, I do not think insurance companies should have any access to that information because they could change prices based on certain genetic conditions and that is unethical and unjust. With that in mind, I do not think there should be an open DNA sample database because the wrong people could get access to such personal information.
Sources
23andMe. (n.d.). Our Health Ancestry DNA Service. Retrieved from https://www.23andme.com/dna-health-ancestry/?vip=true&pdp=true
National Institutes of Health. (11, February 2020). What are the benefits of genetic testing? - Genetics Home Reference - NIH. Retrieved from https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/testing/benefits