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31 Fam. L.Q. 321 (1997-1998)
Should Parents Be Permitted to Authorize Genetic Testing for Their Chidren

handle is hein.journals/famlq31 and id is 339 raw text is: Should Parents Be Permitted to Authorize Genetic Testing for Their Children? JULIE HOLLAND* I. Introduction Genetic testing is a field that has experienced rapid advances recently. Through genetic testing, doctors can predict whether an individual is predisposed to suffer from a particular disorder before any symptoms manifest. This ability to predict has many benefits. With such knowl- edge, certain disorders may be prevented or slowed, and individuals are able to prepare mentally, emotionally, and financially for the onset of the disorder. Despite these benefits, genetic testing may cause more harm than good. One big issue is privacy and who should be permitted to know an individual's genetic make-up. An aspect of that issue is whether parents should be permitted to authorize genetic testing for their minor children. The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences recommends that parents should not be able to authorize genetic testing for their children when there is no clear benefit to the children. This is also the position of this article. There is no clear benefit to children when they are tested either for untreatable, late-onset disorders' or * Julie Holland is a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Andrew P. Rodovich in the Northern District of Indiana and will join the law firm of Hinshaw & Culbertson in August 1997. Thanks to Professor Lori B. Andrews from Chicago-Kent College of Law for her input and assistance with this project. 1. Late-onset disorders are disorders whose symptoms usually do not manifest until later in life. Symptoms could manifest as early as one's twenties, or as late as one's sixties or seventies. Untreatable and late-onset disorders are not separated; rather, they are grouped as one type of disorder, that is, a disorder that has no treatment available and does not manifest until later in life.