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Chapter 1 A Close-Up View of You
Genetic Counseling
Genetic counselors help people understand
how hereditary diseases and disabilities are
passed on. Some people may already know that
a hereditary condition exists in their family.
Couples who have a child with an inherited
disease may want to seek genetic counseling
before having more children. Also, couples
related by blood may want to seek genetic
counseling before having a family.
Your family tree is a list of your blood
relatives for several generations. By tracing your
family tree, you can identify conditions that could
be hereditary in your family. By checking the life
span of past generations, you can determine the
average life span in your family. You can also
trace other dominant or recessive traits that are
passed from one generation to the next.
Medical Research Versus the
Right to Privacy
New technologies make it possible to gather
information about each person. This ability
raises some concerns about the welfare of private
citizens. For instance, if you have a genotype
similar to a person with Alzheimer’s disease,
would you want to know this? Would you want
your insurance company, your employer, or
others to know? Could such information lead to
discrimination?
Concerns for the personal well-being of
individuals must be considered. The ability to
use a technology to gather such information must
be weighed against a person’s right to keep the
information private and confidential. Such issues
will continue to be raised as technology becomes
more advanced.
Review Section 1:2
1. Name five characteristics that a person inherits.
2. Explain the difference in the effects of a
dominant gene and a recessive gene on the way
a trait is expressed.
3. Describe how the use-it-or-lose-it rule applies to
brain development.
4. Explain why a marriage between close relatives
is a health risk.
5. Under what circumstances might a couple seek
genetic counseling?
1-8
Down syndrome results when a child inherits an
extra chromosome. One of the effects of this condition is
mental retardation.