| At present, most genetic diseases are not preventable and treatments for them are radical. Ultimately, understanding gene structure and function is key to developing effective therapy. However, individuals may avoid undergoing predictive tests due to fear of both test results and discrimination. Asymptomatic people may be assigned to high-risk health insurance pools or denied health insurance completely. Fear of adverse results may lead to what I call Stigma Sequence Syndrome (SSS), in which people will avoid predictive testing.;Key questions considered: (1) What must be included in consent to DNA based predictive testing to render that consent valid? (2) How should test results be interpreted to insurance companies? (3) How can SSS, at least in relation to insurance, be avoided? (4) What can be done to promote protections for individuals undergoing these tests? The outcome of this work, is a set of recommendations which when followed, can encourage predictive genetic testing. |
