Description:
In this one hour program, nationally known bioethicists discuss the controversial and ethical questions surrounding mandatory newborn screening, which currently lack federal oversight and are managed by each state. Wide variations in this testing exist throughout the United States; nine states currently test for more than 50 genetic diseases, while others test for fewer than 10. For many bioethicists, it is controversial whether or not to routinely screen all newborns for conditions we may not yet be able to treat, capturing genetic information for research or future registries in the event treatment later becomes possible. Bioethicists have related concerns about whether parental consents should be obtained for each test, as well as whether testing should be uniform from state-to-state. A variety of opinions were expressed at the conference, as experts weighed in on these questions. Speaker(s):
Norman Fost, MD, MPH, professor of pediatrics and bioethics, University of Washington
Douglas Diekema, MD, MPH, director of education, Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics.
Beth Tarini, MD, MS, assistant professor, Division of General Pediatrics, University of Michigan
Duane Alexander, MD, director, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health
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