Doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital are offering new parents a landmark genetic scan that screens newborns for around 1,800 conditions. But most parents are declining the controversial test. The trial allows newborns to be tested before showing symptoms of diseases, including some cancers. Robert Green, medical geneticist at Harvard and co-director of the BabySeq Project along with Alan
Beggs, told CBS This Morning the scan could “absolutely” save a child’s life in the future. But as Green told CBS This Morning, there are also drawbacks to the program. “I would have to say I’m not 100 percent comfortable with it. What we’re really trying to do in this study is ask the question, ‘How beneficial or harmful is it to go down this road?’” Green said. Some of the potential risks include breaches of privacy and genetic discrimination. READ MORE
