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Genetic Dilemmas and the Child's Right to an Open Future
Author(s) -
Davis Dena S.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
hastings center report
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.515
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1552-146X
pISSN - 0093-0334
DOI - 10.2307/3527620
Subject(s) - beneficence , autonomy , psychology , best interests , personal autonomy , social psychology , genetic counseling , political science , law , biology , genetics
Although deeply committed to the model of nondirective counseling, most genetic counselors enter the profession with certain assumptions about health and disability—for example, that it is preferable to be a hearing person than a deaf person. Thus, most genetic counselors are deeply troubled when parents with certain disabilities ask for assistance in having a child who shares their disability. This ethical challenge benefits little from viewing it as a conflict between beneficence and autonomy. The challenge is better recast as a conflict between parental autonomy and the child's future autonomy.