First broadcast Wednesday at 9 p.m. on public television
By Kevin E. Foley
The complex issue of using genetics to diagnose and treat illnesses will be the subject of a public television special tomorrow night on the PBS science program NOVA. Key collaborators on the program, Cracking Your Genetic Code, are staff from The Hastings Center, the nonprofit Philipstown based organization dedicated to bioethics research and public dialogue about the implications of advances in medical care and the life sciences.
The program, scheduled for a 9 p.m. premiere Wed. March 28, locally on channel 13, will explore both the exciting new possibilities genetics offer for life enhancement at all ages and the ethical dilemmas the use of genetic information pose. Questions addressed will include: Will genetic testing and screening and personalized medicine change the way you think about your life? Should it? What can you really learn about your future from direct-to-consumer genetic testing—or even from whole genome scanning? And what about your privacy—who can get and use your genetic information? For more see the NOVA website.
As an added guide to dealing the questions raised by providing genetic information to everyone, The Hastings Center has established an online community where individuals can get help thinking about how these issues affect them personally:
The Hastings Center is located on Route 9D in Garrison just south of the St. Basil Academy.
