HOUSTON, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- DNA analysis to diagnose illness can inadvertently reveal some children were conceived through incest, raising ethical and legal issues, U.S. researchers say.
A report published in the British journal The Lancet highlights a problem likely to become more common as DNA analysis technology becomes more common as a diagnostic tool: What should doctors do if they suspect a child they are treating was born through incest?
Developmental disabilities and congenital anomalies, which DNA analysis can help diagnose, are known to occur more frequently in children born through incest because of missing or duplicated genes, Medical News Today reported Friday.
Senior report author Dr. Arthur Beaudet, chair of molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and colleagues wrote that in their practice they have identified several children referred for developmental disabilities and congenital anomalies whose DNA suggests they are offspring of incestuous relationships.
"We have discussed these issues with legal and ethics experts at Baylor and Texas Children's Hospital, and we are considering how best to handle them," Beaudet said.
Revealing that a child may have been conceived through incest raises thorny social problems.
The mother may deny incest took place; she may be frightened and feel she and her child would be unsafe if this came out.
Beaudet and his colleagues say this is an issue that demands new practice guidelines on consent, disclosure of results and reporting.
