Genetic Testing In Katharine Moser's Ethical Dilemma

As modern medicine advances, genetic testing has become more advanced and accurate than ever before. By a relatively inexpensive test and within a few weeks time, an individual can know what diseases they are prone to in the future. While this technology is insightful, the information that it supplies has the potential to drastically change people 's lives. When taking a Utilitarian approach, Katharine Moser’s decision to undergo genetic testing is not viewed as morally wrong, but her decision to testify in court was.
One of the toughest decisions that Ms. Moser had to make was deciding that she wanted to get tested for Huntington’s Disease at such a young age. She was warned that many individuals fall into deep depression after discovering …show more content…
Moser had not testified, the opposite would have occurred. Ms. Moser would have been negatively impacted because she would feel that she did not assist Ms. Maldonado in attempting to regain custody of her child. Ms. Maldonado would also be negatively impacted because she would lose the potential of having more evidence in favor of gaining her daughter back. In turn, neither Ms. Moser’s mother, nor her husband would find out that she has Huntington’s Disease. And Jillian would be more in favor of falling into Ms. Moser’s mother 's custody, which would be better for her, since it had already been proven that Ms. Maldonado was not providing sufficient care for her. When both instances are considered, it is clear that if Ms. Moser did not testify in court, it would have produced the greatest benefit with the least …show more content…
Ms. Moser has autonomy and can therefore decide for herself if she would like to be tested. If one would like to know what the future holds for them so that they can live life to the fullest, they should be allowed to know. Although it caused her suffering, Ms. Moser decision was not morally wrong because she justified her action to herself and everyone that was impacted by her decision. Furthermore, her decision to testify in court was morally wrong because overall she impacted individuals more negatively than positively. Even though she felt compelled to testify, she did not have to reveal that she tested positive for Huntington’s Disease in front of her mother. This was a violation of her mother 's autonomy, since her mother did not want to know if she carried the