Genetic testing for diseases which u dont have now, but which you may get in future, makes me really uneasy. I really really dont like it at all. ( Gattaca anyone? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119177/? )
On the face of it, it looks very logical. You genes suggest that you may get a fatal disease in the future, can u just sit back and let it happen? There is a 80% probability that u will get cancer! ( I trust only one probability ,There is 100% probability that u will die! :D ) wont u take any action? Yup you will! but its Wrong wrong wrong wrong!
Angelina Jolie has taken drastic measures because her gene testing showed her that she may get Breast cancer- 80% chance. She is being branded as brave? Is she? Or is she a coward and pessimistic? She may probably get cancer in 20 years and Medical science may discover cures by then? and there was a possibility that she may not get cancer at all? She is not giving nature a chance? isn't it Scare mongering?
What about the spirit of humanity which can overcome all odds? What was the probability of Wright brothers flying? 0%?
What about winning against all odds? if u take aways all odds? what then?
Brave? really?? I dono!!
I shouldnt be judgemental about this, but we being sheep and all.. I may line up tomorrow at a clinic to get my genes tested if I dont rant and rave about it!
This kind of medicine is like blind men feeling the elephant and with that view fixing things with that kind of view. medicine especially is becoming more and more like that. Life itself has become like that. We are always fixing things. Its so wrong but I m not able to exactly pinpoint what is wrong? Or is it just me?
On the face of it, it looks very logical. You genes suggest that you may get a fatal disease in the future, can u just sit back and let it happen? There is a 80% probability that u will get cancer! ( I trust only one probability ,There is 100% probability that u will die! :D ) wont u take any action? Yup you will! but its Wrong wrong wrong wrong!
Angelina Jolie has taken drastic measures because her gene testing showed her that she may get Breast cancer- 80% chance. She is being branded as brave? Is she? Or is she a coward and pessimistic? She may probably get cancer in 20 years and Medical science may discover cures by then? and there was a possibility that she may not get cancer at all? She is not giving nature a chance? isn't it Scare mongering?
What about the spirit of humanity which can overcome all odds? What was the probability of Wright brothers flying? 0%?
What about winning against all odds? if u take aways all odds? what then?
Brave? really?? I dono!!
I shouldnt be judgemental about this, but we being sheep and all.. I may line up tomorrow at a clinic to get my genes tested if I dont rant and rave about it!
This kind of medicine is like blind men feeling the elephant and with that view fixing things with that kind of view. medicine especially is becoming more and more like that. Life itself has become like that. We are always fixing things. Its so wrong but I m not able to exactly pinpoint what is wrong? Or is it just me?
There is also a sinister angle to this, that the gene testing is very expensive and the companies which did the testing and surgeries on her are behind the promotion of this news. She is on news everyday! (What is and What isn't covered in the news is another story all-together.)
Hmm!This is similar to the dilemma about cats/children may be much more severe.
I was complaining to my maid that parents these days are too careful. I used to climb trees, my dad used to swim in the river, These days kids are not allowed even out of the house. She said.. My uncles daughter fell down from a tree in the village and is paralysed.
As there are too many street dogs in Bangalore, Cats have very low survival rate. The solution is too keep the cats indoors, make them house cats, dont let them out. Lot of cats in developed countries live like this. I had two cats... what do I do? Keep them inside? too cruel? leave them out? they will get killed Dogs/Vehicles.. Dont keep cats at all?
There is no right answer - most of the time we follow the trend, what ever the society feels right, thats what we do. We are not only afraid for our kids, we are afraid of our guilt and other peoples judgement. Logic says we should probably err on the side of caution -
remember the parents who wiped every possible surface with Dettol to keep their children safe from germs and those kids got sick more often cause they didnt build immunity? We can err on the side of caution but we are blind men and our caution may be stupidity. but Does that mean u jump in front of trains?
I dono the answer to this.
Hmm!This is similar to the dilemma about cats/children may be much more severe.
I was complaining to my maid that parents these days are too careful. I used to climb trees, my dad used to swim in the river, These days kids are not allowed even out of the house. She said.. My uncles daughter fell down from a tree in the village and is paralysed.
As there are too many street dogs in Bangalore, Cats have very low survival rate. The solution is too keep the cats indoors, make them house cats, dont let them out. Lot of cats in developed countries live like this. I had two cats... what do I do? Keep them inside? too cruel? leave them out? they will get killed Dogs/Vehicles.. Dont keep cats at all?
There is no right answer - most of the time we follow the trend, what ever the society feels right, thats what we do. We are not only afraid for our kids, we are afraid of our guilt and other peoples judgement. Logic says we should probably err on the side of caution -
remember the parents who wiped every possible surface with Dettol to keep their children safe from germs and those kids got sick more often cause they didnt build immunity? We can err on the side of caution but we are blind men and our caution may be stupidity. but Does that mean u jump in front of trains?
I dono the answer to this.
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