You are here: Home :: Area JESP :: Jurisprudence

Kerstin Stieber Roger

The Social Impact of Gender and Culture on Decision-Making in Genetic Testing

This paper discusses how gender and culture / ethnicity or race shape interpretations of possible genetic tests for adult onset health conditions in families. The context for this discussion includes the process of psychotherapy. On the one hand, genetic counseling (especially in the context of recent advances in science research) can re-configure family relationships and thus may make new meaning of shifting definitions of family. On the other hand, ‘access’ to or understanding genetics is commonly achieved according to personal as well as social factors removed from the scientific aspect of these diagnoses. Psychotherapy is one such site. This distinction between genetics and people’s application of potential genetic diagnoses, as well as between genetics and social cultural values, is explored in this paper.

Journal of International Biotechnology Law, Walter de Gruyter

Print ISSN: 1612-6068
Volume: 1, 08/2004
Pages: 166 - 173

Show full article (external site)

Show all available items of this journal

 

Area JESP