Genetic Counseling Practices in Germany: A Comparison Between East German and West German Geneticists |
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| Authors: | Pamela E. Cohen Dorothy C. Wertz Irmgard Nippert Gerhard Wolff |
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| Affiliation: | (1) Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts;(2) Social Science, Ethics, and Law, The Shriver Center for Mental Retardation, Waltham, Massachusetts;(3) Institute of Human Genetics, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany;(4) Institute of Human Genetics, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany |
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| Abstract: | As part of an international study of ethics and genetics, we present a comparison between survey responses of 43 East German and 212 West German geneticists to anonymous questionnaires. Both groups indicated that the experience of the Third Reich has impacted the genetics profession in Germany today. East German geneticists reported more directive counseling practices after prenatal diagnosis for 10 of 26 conditions than those from West Germany. When asked to give their personal opinions about pregnancy termination, East Germans were more accepting of abortion than their West German colleagues for 7 of 24 fetal indications. In addition, there were significant differences between the two sample groups for 8 questions on the perception of disability and society. Discussions with German geneticists suggest that, while both groups were affected by Germany's experience of Nazism, different abortion laws, political systems, and ideas about the doctor-patient relationship in former East and West Germany may account for discrepancies in reported genetic counseling practices and in attitudes toward abortion and disability. |
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| Keywords: | genetic counseling Germany nondirectiveness abortion disability |
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