An important topic for
discussion for any nurse considering women’s health nursing is genetic
engineering and eugenics. Many people
may choose to ignore the reality of this topic, citing religious beliefs.
However, science and technology is rapidly approaching a time when many things
that were once considered science fiction are becoming a reality. The modern
obstetrical nurse needs to be prepared to face these issues when she enters the
work force.
Science is taking us farther every day, and it is far
from finished with the journey. A
medical fact that is discussed in doctor’s offices far more than we probably
realize is genetic engineering. The
subject matter can be presented in several lights. It can be as unimpeachable as checking the
genetic markers in a fetus for their likelihood of developing Huntington’s
disease or as blatant as designing one’s own child right down to their eye
color.
BBC
News reports about a six year old boy who had a rare and serious illness. Neither his parents nor his younger sister
were a good enough genetic match for treating his disorder with a bone marrow
transplant, so they made a sibling who was a good match. His parents made a match for him. That’s
right; they just threw together the scientific magic and test tube mixing that
created a baby specifically to be a donor child for their ill son.
Even the most open minded individuals can be caught off guard
when confronted with the realities of modern genetic engineering. It is not
something that we often think of, but society as a whole is moving towards the acceptance
of it. There are references to genetic engineering in ObamaCare in as much as
using eugenics for its cost savings benefits.
It is a valid point. Think about
this: they are weighing the cost
effectiveness of determining in utero whether a person will make a productive
adult or be dependent their entire lives.
An article in Forbes
suggests that science will never be able to write the complete genetic code
from the ground up, but the Human Genome Project is making progress every
day. There are plenty of scientists and
ethicists who claim that eugenics and gene therapy is and is not moral and/or
ethical. There are pamphlets available
to anyone who cares to see about how exactly cloning, genetic engineering and
stem cell harvesting can be done and how it can benefit an ailing family. One can assume that as your bank account
grows, so too do your options for creating the perfect little family and the
pamphlets for gene therapy may be stacked right alongside the ones for STIs and
planned parenthood. Eugenics does bring
a whole new connotation to “planned parenthood” doesn’t it?
Simple eugenics is already in action in our town, in the
offices of every obstetrician in practice when we test fetuses for Down’s
Syndrome, or view an ultrasound and make the decision to abort a fetus that has
severe congenital anomalies. Human kind is already benefitting from this, and
can benefit further if we can prevent diseases such as Tay-Sach’s, Sickle Cell
Anemia, and Cystic Fibrosis. We must
recognize that these are not the only implications and sometimes we will be
hard pressed to maintain our composure and keep our opinions to ourselves. It will become part of the essence of
professional nursing care to recognize elective surgeries and procedures no
matter what form they come in and carry out our duties to our clients.
This topic was not intended to pit one side against the
other, or to vilify anyone; merely to raise the issue that as professionals we
will be providing care for these women and their babies. We owe it to our clients and ourselves to
stay apprised of advances in medicine that make it more and more likely that we
will encounter this. We cannot hide from
technology, but we can embrace it and enrich ourselves and the lives of our
clients if we are better educated.
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