DNA Blueprint of Fetus

In an age where it seems we must know everything before it happens, we have reached a new level of insanity in my mind; the DNA sequencing of a fetus.  That's correct, researchers have figured out how to determine the DNA blueprint of a fetus using only a blood sample from the pregnant mother and a saliva sample from the father.  The DNA blueprint can be figured out to within 98% accuracy and while one test was done at 18.5 weeks, some think it can be done within the first trimester.  What does this all mean?  One avenue of thought brings to light the possibility of figuring out if a fetus will have one of thousands of genetic anomalies or defects.  One might also be able to determine how smart or how athletic their child might be.  Yet all of this would be challenging currently.  While researchers have figured out how to map the DNA, interpreting it is a whole other matter.  Besides the fact that this type of DNA mapping is now feasible, there seems to be little one can do with it.   The article I read about this topic in the NYTimes brings to light a disturbing possibility which happens to be the first possibility that I thought of, using this information to determine whether to keep the child or abort it.  Some parents already make that decision based upon a few tests that can be done during pregnancy to determine if the fetus is at risk for some developmental problem.  With this new ability to know even more, the possibilities are quite frightening. 

When my wife was pregnant with our son, we didn't even know if our child was going to be a boy or a girl never mind anything else.  We refused all possible tests available because we knew that no matter what the tests results were, we were going to keep our child.  With the possibility now reaching the point where almost any genetic mutation or disease can be figured out early, it begs the question as to how many parents will make the decision to keep or abort the child depending on the results of the DNA mapping.  I would like to think that most wouldn't even have the DNA of their fetus mapped, yet who knows.  For now at least, the cost to map the DNA of a fetus is prohibitively expensive and would not be an option for the majority of parents.  Yet the costs are sure to come down and when they do, it will open up the door to a whole new world.  Depending on how things go, this possibility of DNA mapping could lead to selective breeding where parents determine whether to keep a child based not upon which disease or handicap a child might have, but more upon their strength, sex, intellect, predisposition, etc.  The possibility to me is frightening.  The last thing we need is a system through which parents can pick and choose which child they want to have and which they could get rid of.  I know some people reading this might think that the majority of parents wouldn't do such a thing like this and I would like to be one of the ones to think that, however, the reality of the situation is much different.  There are many instances already which point to a growing trend of selective abortion or selective breeding.  The moment we try and control how the human race will develop based upon DNA sequencing is the moment we begin to lose some of our humanity. 

Perhaps my biggest issue with this whole thing is that it is mostly pointless in my mind.  There are so many different factors that go into a child's development that to determine whether a child is worth bringing into the world based upon their DNA is ludicrous.  There have been many instances over the years where a child was born with various issues and turned out to be a world leader, a genius, or a fantastic athlete.  One can not fully determine what a child will be like until they are born and begin developing.  By opening up the possibility of cutting life short because of DNA mapping we are potentially saying that some human life isn't worth keeping while other human life is.  That is a problem to me.  One of the questions asked of my wife and I when the tests were offered for our child was if we were going to keep the child regardless of what the tests said.  Our answer was, "of course we will keep the child".  They then suggested we not get the tests done because there could be a false positive and it wouldn't be worth it.  Similarly, I don't think it would be worth it to get a fetus' DNA mapped.  But then again, we live in a world where everything must be known immediately.  There are relatively few surprises in this world anymore.  Having a child and not knowing if it will be a boy or girl is one of them.  Even that however is losing its appeal as most parents have the sex of their child determined so they can plan accordingly.  I remember taking the labor class and being the only couple out of 10 that didn't know what they were having.  That is the way of the world I suppose and there is not much we can do about it.  Oh well, on to the almighty weekend and some well deserved relaxation.