Appreciating Uncertainty and Personal Preference in Genetic Testing

Genetic testing seems to hold out hope for the cure of a number of debilitating conditions. At the same time, many people fear the information that genetic testing can make available. In this commentary, I argue that as of now, the nature of the information revealed in such tests should lead to cautious views about the value of genetic testing. Moreover, I suggest that our overall views about such testing should account for the fact that individuals place different sorts of value on the possession of their own genetic information. As a result, we should largely defer to personal preference in thinking about the propriety of genetic testing.