Medical Genetic Advances and Bioethical Concerns

Medical genetic advances with the scope of embryonic stem cell research, prenatal and preimplantation genetic diagnoses, genetic testing and screening, gene therapy, assisted reproductive technologies, etc. to alleviate human suffering and provide better health care and infertility options have also raised concerns and presented dilemmas about the right choices to be made from pre-conception to after death. Bioethical perspectives need to be considered from the individual's religious, traditional and cultural viewpoints to safeguard against potential misuse of these technologies and procedures. A case-point like the misuse of prenatal diagnosis for sex selection and its dire moral, social and inhumane outcomes needs to be avoided at all costs despite modernity and acceptance of western trends. Frameworks have been formulated to avoid exploitation of these technologies and National Ethics Committees provide guideposts for usage of biomedical advances, though within the backdrop of western recommendations. Public concerns are often neglected and/or overlooked. There is also a lack of inputs from regional-specific as well as traditional/cultural/religious viewpoints.