As defined by dictionary.com, genetic screening is "the assessment of an individual's genetic makeup to detect inheritable defects that may be transmitted to offspring". There are a plethora of services such as "23 and me" that will determine your chances of having a child with DMD for a fee. (23andMe Canada - How Does it Work?, n.d.) This service is extremely useful for testing mothers who potentially have a dystrophin mutation, as said genetic abnormality would not have any physical effects on women (and are thus harder to detect). If a woman is tested and the results come out positive, then the mother has a fifty percent chance of passing the mutation down to their child. (DMD - Causes/Inheritance, n.d.) That ultimately means that the child (if it is a son) has a large chance of inheriting DMD. Since these services can be done before pregnancy, parents are able to make a more informed decision regarding having a child. This is extremely important if they decide that they are incapable of supporting such a child.
Genetic screening can also be applied to the fetus itself. Using prenatal methods of testing such as blood sampling and muscle biopsies, doctors can more accurately diagnose a child with the genetic disorder in question. In this case, then the family has time to come to terms with the fact that they will potentially have a child who won't be able to live as a normal child would. This early warning sign would also give them time to adequately prepare for a DMD child, as they will need continuous care throughout life.
Although genetic screenings sound great, there are reasons why it gathered so much controversy in the past. One of the biggest reasons why people are hesitant to use these aforementioned services is because Canada has no laws that protect people from genetic discrimination. (About Genetic Discrimination, 2015) Genetic discrimination is when insurance companies alter peoples insurance cost depending on how likely they are to develop a genetic disorder. They can do this if they obtain the DNA that people sent to genetic screening services. This is highly unfair, as they can increase the insurance cost on a carrier's child, which would make caring for the DMD child much harder and costly. Another ethical issue that is tied with genetic screening becomes apparent if the parents are not willing to care for a child with DMD, despite it already being in utero. In this case, some people may decide to terminate the pregnancy, which is highly frowned upon depending on who is asked. These two things outline the dangers of this kind of knowledge, as it holds great social implications. It is ultimately up to the parents to decide if these risks are worth the reward.
Background Image 9. A close up digital image of Deoxyribonucleic Acid. DNA [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2016, from http://www.healingenergytools.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/3028124-poster-p-dna.jpg