Ethical considerations in the prevention and management of genetic disorders with special emphasis on religious considerations

Genetic diseases include not only single gene disorders, but multifactorial, somatic cell genetic disorders, mitochondrial and even chromosomal. One in 4 adults will suffer from a multifactorial or a somatic cell genetic disease. The common diseases in the community have a hereditary component namely diabetes mellitus, hypertension, ischemic heart diseases and many types of cancer. Even monogenic diseases which affect a small number of the newborns (2%-3%), have a greater impact on childhood diseases up to age 15 years. Therefore, it is imperative to scrutinize the available methods of prevention and management of genetic disorders, their ethical implications, and since east Mediterranean region is mainly occupied by Arabs and muslims, religious considerations become of paramount importance. Islam differs from many other religions in providing a complete code of life, which encompasses the secular with spiritual, the mundane with the celestial and hence forms the basis of the ethical, moral and even juridical attitudes and laws towards any problem or situation. Islamic teachings carry a great deal of instructions for health promotion and disease prevention including hereditary and genetic disorders. This review discusses how the Islamic teachings play an important role in the prevention and management of genetic disorders and the type of ethical implications involved in such management namely premarital medical examination, the question of consanguinity, the genetic counseling, the question of preimplantation diagnosis, the question of abortion and the offering of alternative ways of reproduction.