Some Parents Want Genetic Testing For Diseases For Their Children.

Jennifer LaRue Huget writing in the Washington Post reports a study in the journal Pediatrics examines whether parents should “submit your child to a genetic screening test that might predict his or her likelihood of developing lung, skin or colon cancer, type 2 diabetes or another chronic illness as an adult.” Parents in this study “were asked whether they’d be willing to subject their children to a genetic screening tool that would assess their risk for the diseases listed above plus osteoporosis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease.” Among the “219 parents participating, mothers were more inclined to be willing than fathers, as were parents who believed their children to be at increased risk of disease.”