Who
is going to be giving genetic advice? That is a big question. At the
present thousands of unlicensed people are giving genetic advice.
There is a group of certified counselors trained and certified by the
American Board of Genetic Counseling and there are tens of thousands of
doctors who are giving genetic advice.
Genetic counseling is generally connected to genetic testing. Genetic testing is simple and low cost for many applications. The first question to ask of a genetic counselor is when and for what reasons should I get a genetic test. At this point the answer is there are roughly 30 inherited defects associated with a single gene that can be avoided with a genetic test of both parents before conception. Such a test is almost always worthwhile because the cost in time and emotion is low and the failure to do the test can be horrifically costly. Few other circumstances warrant a genetic test. Very few.
My problem is that the medical profession has very poor understanding of statistics and research design. There will be increasingly useful research connecting genetic tests with predictable outcomes and there will be increasingly good statistical evidence of the connections. Who can be trusted? What institution will develop to provide reliable counseling?