What are our strategies?
1. First reading: Underline words we don't know or that at the very least "sound scientific."
2. Second reading: Highlight 3-5 key points
3. Use the space on the discussion sheet to write 5 discussion questions. Remember: "What does the word transgenic mean?" is NOT a good question. Rather, ask "should the government regulate transgenic organisms?"
4. Write an opening statement (12-15 sentences) on the reading. Your statement should set the stage for the discussion. You should include a summary of the article and introduce one of your discussion questions.
Below is a sample for the article "Cats, Clones and Chemicals" you read last night.
Discussion Questions:
- Genetic screening is not foolproof. Some tests can only show the probability that a person is a carrier. Does this weakness affect your thinking on genetic screening? How?
- Premarital screening is practiced to determine the probability of a couple producing children with serious genetic conditions that can deprive the couple of a happy marriage by producing a hopelessly impaired child. Should a couple so informed not get married; marry but not have children; or conceive a child but test the child in utero and abort if the child would have a serious genetic disease.
- Will mandatory genetic screening programs lead to laws that govern a person’s reproductive behavior?
- Whose rights could be violated if genetic screening were mandatory?
- Should members of high-risk ethnic groups be screened selectively – for example, Ashkenazi Jews for Tay-Sachs disease, African Americans for sickle-cell anemia, Scandinavians for PKU, or Italians and Greeks for thalassemia?
- Some minority ethnic groups regard genetic screening, which seeks out individuals who should not reproduce, as a thinly veiled genocidal program of majority ethnic groups. What do you think?
Genetic screening is the use of blood or chromosome tests to detect genetic disorders. Screening can be performed at different stages in life, from prenatal to adulthood. Tay-Sachs, PKU, and sickle-cell anemia are examples of genetic disorders that can sometimes be detected using genetic testing. Genetic screening can detect both afflicted individuals and carriers of a disease. Genetic screening is a controversial topic, due in part to the varied uses of this technique and their ethical, social, and legal implications. Genetic screening of fetuses allows the detection of diseases such as Tay-Sachs and PKU. Some advocates of screening suggest that this will allow undesirable fetuses to be aborted, saving a lot of money and heartache. Many people oppose screening for this purpose because it prevents individuals, who would normally be given the chance to live and find happiness, from being born. Some diseases, such as PKU, can be controlled or prevented if they are detected early. Screening allows early detection of these diseases in newborns and can possibly improve the quality of life of some individuals. Adults can be screened premaritally to see what probability they have of producing a child with a particular disease or undesirable trait. They can work with a genetic counselor to determine what steps to take in child-bearing. Some states are offering voluntary genetic screening while others have made it mandatory for certain diseases. There are many factors to consider when deciding whether or not screening should occur, when in the lifecycle it should take place, for what purpose it should be done, and who should be screened. For instance, genetic screening is not foolproof. Some tests can only show the probability that a person is a carrier. Does this weakness affect your thinking on genetic screening? How?
