Genetic counseling raises concerns associated with confidentiality and privacy of the information. I consider that genetic information always is beneficial for the individual because this information can be used to determine the genetic predisposition of developing a particular inherited disease (and therefore prevent it).
Explanation:
Genetic counseling has historically been associated with concerns with confidentiality and privacy of genetic information. Genetic information about an individual such as carrier status (i.e., the presence of recessive deleterious alleles in the genome of the individual), his/her chance of developing a certain disease (e.g., cancer), or transmit this disease to his/her offspring is always stigmatizing, and therefore it must be kept confidential. In consequence, genetic information must be carefully handled by professionals because any filtration of this information may be harmful to the individual (for example, unscrupulous companies might use this information to select personal regarding the genetic predisposition to suffer inherited diseases). However, genetic information is very useful in order to determine the genetic predisposition of developing a particular inherited disease and thus take the necessary actions to prevent it (e.g., avoid high salt foods if there is a genetic predisposition of developing cardiovascular diseases).
