Ethical Considerations in Genetic Counseling

Ethical discussion of genetic counseling is taken into account by the framework of genetic ethics; however, firstly, it is an applied issue rather than being a theoretical one. And there is much dependence to acquiring scientific, psychological, and communicative skills. Genetic counseling needs to pursue a comprehensive ethical strategy. In this strategy, some principles can be utilized that their frequent application for explaining and evaluating bioethical issues has made them known as “bioethical principles” including: “self-regulation”, “doing good deeds”, “avoid doing damages” and “justice”. However, application of bioethical principles in genetic counseling is not general and abstract and these principles are firstly, flexible and revisable in relation to a critical state and situation and secondly, they rely on acquiring particular and minor knowledge and skills. The thing that gives more depth and precision to application of the bioethical principles and helps the counselor to understand the situations is being dominant to technical skills in genetic counseling such as scientific and communicative ones.