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The patient as person in an increasingly gene‐centric universe: How healthcare professionals should think about genomics and evolution
Author(s) -
Jackson Timothy P.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
american journal of medical genetics part c: seminars in medical genetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.419
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1552-4876
pISSN - 1552-4868
DOI - 10.1002/ajmg.c.30198
Subject(s) - happiness , utilitarianism , sacrifice , health care , valuation (finance) , health professionals , genomics , psychology , internet privacy , genome , social psychology , political science , computer science , gene , business , genetics , biology , law , history , archaeology , finance
In the past, the primary threat to the patient as person was a medical utilitarianism that would sacrifice the individual for the collective, that would coercively (ab)use a person for the sake of an in‐group's health or happiness. Today, the threat is not only from vainglorious social groups but also from valorized genes and genomes. An over‐valuation of genes risks making persons seem epiphenomenal. A central thesis of this article is that religious healthcare professionals have unique resources to combat this. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.