Welll, this sounds like the stuff of science fiction, and where it’s headed I don’t know, and to be honest, even though it’s a result of the positive movement toward gene testing and breast cancer prevention through genetic testing, I’m not sure that this is a good thing that now we are starting to test babies for these types of genes.  Is this really something that we want or need to know from the moment a baby is born?  Hmm, good question, and I’m sure for some it has some ethical and personal implications. 

babies, taking the humanity out of humans.  Maybe I sound a tad old fashioned, but that’s how this kind of stuff makes me feel sometimes.  Now don’t get me wrong, they just tested this baby while she was still in the womb, they didn’t inject her with some super-baby DNA or anything like that, it just sounds like that may be what we’re headed for if this kind of stuff keeps up. 

And don’t think I’m against genetic testing, I’m not, I just wonder what good it does on a baby that hasn’t even been born yet and what purpose it could possibly serve to have this information when a child is born since breast cancer usually doesn’t show up until later in life.  The parents of the baby girl did use in vitro fertilization, which is what allowed the doctors to manipulate and test the embryos that created her life, so that explains how they go ahold of the information. 

The gene that is known for increasing the risk that a woman will get breast cancer in many cases increases the risk of breast cancer to about 80%, which is a very steep likelihood and understandable reason for concern.  It is the reason that many women, such as Christina Applegate, are choosing to have radical double mastectomies to avoid getting cancer in their breast tissue. 

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Posted in Breast Cancer Prevention by Breast News Girl No Comments Yet