Definition
Ethical issues in medical genetics arise from (a) new and previously unknown information on individual and familial genetic heritage and (b) new knowledge in manipulating genetic traits associated with disorder or disease or for enhancement. Moral subjects to make decisions and assess the ethical parameters of new information and knowledge are individuals, families, communities, legal experts, politicians even humankind; the assessment of who, for a special issue or in a given situation, is or should be the prime moral agent is a highly debated and controversial ethical, cultural and political issue.
Existing and developing knowledge in genetic information and genetic manipulation is a scientific revolution of Copernican dimension and will have far reaching consequences cultural and social consequences in individual and collective attitudes, on values and virtues, lifestyles, hopes and expectations, also in structuring systems of health promotion and disease management.
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References
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© 2006 Springer-Verlag
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Sass, H.M. (2006). Ethical Issues in Medical Genetics. In: Encyclopedic Reference of Genomics and Proteomics in Molecular Medicine. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg . https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-29623-9_1450
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-29623-9_1450
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-44244-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-29623-2
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