... test to detect prostate cancer, from which about 10,000 men die a year in Britain. Researchers studied a group of 2000 cancer patients, and found that there are seven previously unknown genetic markers linked to the disease (Ian Sample, The Guardian, 2008). Similarly, now through amniocentesis and Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) we are able to screen for a number of genetically inherited diseases such as Downs Syndrome and Tay - Sachs disease (ucsfhealth.org, June 2007). These are good examples of what research into genetics has achieved in the past thirty years. Parents can now decide whether they would like to bring a child into the world if it will in be disadvantaged by these diseases, or prepare for the birth of child. There are fears over incorporation of 'social Darwinism' or a revival of 'eugenics', a term infamously coined by Charles Darwin's cousin Francis Galton. 'Eugenics' was used in Europe ...

See this essay or coursework document in full right now