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The Quest for a Family

For those who want children and can’t have them on their own, time is the enemy. But so is cancer. And money. And war. For those who fear an imperfect genetic history, it seems they must forge the steeliest of nerves in order to be successful. So many things can go wrong in the quest for a family, despite the high-tech world of fertility treatments and genetic counseling that hold promise for those who have been disappointed by old-fashioned measures.

Fertility Clock Headlines, Fertility Headlines

Conflict Potential Seen in Genetic Counselors

Genetic testing raises some vexing ethical questions, like whether it will cause unnecessary anxiety or lead to more medical procedures, including abortions.

Now, as the number of tests and the money to be made from them are exploding, another question is being asked by professionals in the field themselves. Is it ethical for genetic counselors, who advise patients on whether to undergo testing, to be paid by the companies that perform the tests?

While it might not always be immediately obvious to patients, some counselors offering them advice in hospitals and doctors’ offices work for the commercial genetic testing companies, not for the hospitals or doctors themselves.

Critics say the arrangement poses a potential conflict of interest, in that the company-employed counselors might have an incentive to recommend more testing than necessary or not to recommend a test offered by a rival laboratory. The practice, they contend, could undermine trust in the profession just as genetic counselors are poised to play a growing role in medicine, helping patients sift through an ever-increasing array of available genetic tests.

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