Case 5: Can Genetic Testing be Required?

The leaders of a certain cultural group arrange marriages for all eligible
young people. Since marriages are arranged and the members only marry other
people within this cultural group, Cystic Fibrosis, a recessive genetic disease, has
become prevalent in their community. The burden of having to take care of the
members of the group with the disease has become expensive. Because of this, the
leaders of the group want to have all of the eligible candidates for marriage tested
to see if they are a carrier of Cystic Fibrosis. They want to make mate matches
based on who is and isnt a carrier of the disease.
Mr. Washington is a representative of We Insure You insurance company. He is
pleased that the leaders want to go forth with required genetic testing. We Insure
You provides health insurance for many of the members of this cultural group. From
a financial stand point, he knows that the insurance company can save a lot of
money if there were fewer children with cystic fibrosis. He supports the leaders and
thinks that required genetic testing would be for the greater benefit of everyone
involved.
Issac is a member of this cultural group and he is of marrying age. He heard
about the leaders plans to require genetic testing and is opposed to the idea. He
doesnt know if he is a carrier for cystic fibrosis or not, but he thinks that potential
carriers might be discriminated against. He believes that those that are carriers for
the disease may get less desirable mates or not be deemed suitable for marriage.
He is afraid that the leaders will require genetic testing, so he contacted Mrs.
Justice, a liberal politician , in hopes that she would help him make a case against
the leaders and Mr. Washington.
Mrs. Justice is a popular politician that believes that everyone should have
the right to choose if they want genetic testing. She supports Issac and believes
that forced genetic testing could lead to discrimination. She also doesnt think that
it is legal for the leaders to force their members to get genetic testing. She thinks
that members of the group should have the right to choose if they want testing. She
knows a lot about the law and is taking the case the Genetics Ethics Board to
present her case.
The Genetic Ethics Board will decide if the leaders are allowed to require
members of marrying age to take a genetic test to determine if they are carriers of
cystic fibrosis.