Genetic screening programs and public policy.

Abstract

A VARIETY OF SIMPLE and complex techniques have been developed for J,Athe screening of genetic disorders before and after birth. Unfortunately, new technology and the enthusiasm of scientists and entrepreneurs have influenced public policy to such an extent that in some genetic programs crucial economic, social and legal considerations have been ignored. The special problems and implications associated with the genetic screening of blacks in the United States have also rarely been deliberated, even though there are many models in our history and in the present which should alert us to the potential harm of some genetic programs. And too often we forget that racists under the disguise of scholarship are ever vigilant to influence public policy in favor of their precepts. In a recent publication entitled Who Should Have Children' Ingle remarks: