Genetic Testing in Children and Their Families Part 1 of 2

Description: In this one hour program, nationally known bioethicists including Norman Frost of UW, Douglas Diekema of the Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics, Beth Tarini of the University of Michigan, and Duane Alexander of the National Institutes of Health discuss the controversial and ethical questions surrounding mandatory newborn screening, which currently lack federal oversight and are managed by each state. Wide variations in this testing exist throughout the United States; nine states currently test for more than 50 genetic diseases, while others test for fewer than 10. Bioethicists have related concerns about whether parental consents should be obtained for each test, as well as whether testing should be uniform from state-to-state.