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Ethics, genetic testing, and athletic talent: children's best interests, and the right to an open (athletic) future

Silvia Camporesi, Mike J. McNamee, Michael McNamee Orcid Logo

Physiological Genomics, Volume: 48, Issue: 3, Pages: 191 - 195

Swansea University Author: Michael McNamee Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00104.2015

Abstract

In this paper we discuss the ethics of genetics-based talent identification programs in sports. We discuss the validity and reliability of the tests and the claims made by direct to consumer companies, before presenting a range of ethical issues concerning child-parent/guardian relations raised by t...

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Published in: Physiological Genomics
ISSN: 1094-8341 1531-2267
Published: 2016
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa31724
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spelling 2019-03-29T10:35:43.5907086 v2 31724 2017-01-23 Ethics, genetic testing, and athletic talent: children's best interests, and the right to an open (athletic) future 85b0b1623e55d977378622a6aab7ee6e 0000-0002-5857-909X Michael McNamee Michael McNamee true false 2017-01-23 STSC In this paper we discuss the ethics of genetics-based talent identification programs in sports. We discuss the validity and reliability of the tests and the claims made by direct to consumer companies, before presenting a range of ethical issues concerning child-parent/guardian relations raised by these tests, which we frame in terms of parental/guardian duties, children's rights, and best interests. We argue that greater ethical emphasis needs to be put on the parental decision on the wellbeing on the child going forward, not on ex post justifications on the basis of good and bad consequences. Best interests decisions made by a third party seem to comprise both subjective and objective elements, but only a holistic approach can do justice to these questions by addressing the wellbeing of the child in a temporal manner and taking into account the child's perspective on its wellbeing. Such decisions must address wider questions of what a good (sports)parent ought do to help the child flourish and how to balance the future-adult focus necessary to nurture talent with the wellbeing of the child in the present. We conclude that current genetic tests for “talent” do not predict aptitude or success to any significant degree and are therefore only marginally pertinent for talent identification. Claims that go beyond current science are culpable and attempt to exploit widespread but naïve perceptions of the efficacy of genetics information to predict athletic futures. Sports physicians and health care professionals involved in sport medicine should therefore discourage the use of these tests. Journal Article Physiological Genomics 48 3 191 195 1094-8341 1531-2267 children, talent, genetics, future, ethics, direct-to-consumer 1 3 2016 2016-03-01 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00104.2015 COLLEGE NANME Sport and Exercise Sciences COLLEGE CODE STSC Swansea University 2019-03-29T10:35:43.5907086 2017-01-23T19:47:39.0209747 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Aerospace, Civil, Electrical, General and Mechanical Engineering - Sport and Exercise Sciences Silvia Camporesi 1 Mike J. McNamee 2 Michael McNamee 0000-0002-5857-909X 3 0031724-21022017090811.pdf camporesi2016.pdf 2017-02-21T09:08:11.7300000 Output 409735 application/pdf Accepted Manuscript true 2017-03-01T00:00:00.0000000 false eng
title Ethics, genetic testing, and athletic talent: children's best interests, and the right to an open (athletic) future
spellingShingle Ethics, genetic testing, and athletic talent: children's best interests, and the right to an open (athletic) future
Michael McNamee
title_short Ethics, genetic testing, and athletic talent: children's best interests, and the right to an open (athletic) future
title_full Ethics, genetic testing, and athletic talent: children's best interests, and the right to an open (athletic) future
title_fullStr Ethics, genetic testing, and athletic talent: children's best interests, and the right to an open (athletic) future
title_full_unstemmed Ethics, genetic testing, and athletic talent: children's best interests, and the right to an open (athletic) future
title_sort Ethics, genetic testing, and athletic talent: children's best interests, and the right to an open (athletic) future
author_id_str_mv 85b0b1623e55d977378622a6aab7ee6e
author_id_fullname_str_mv 85b0b1623e55d977378622a6aab7ee6e_***_Michael McNamee
author Michael McNamee
author2 Silvia Camporesi
Mike J. McNamee
Michael McNamee
format Journal article
container_title Physiological Genomics
container_volume 48
container_issue 3
container_start_page 191
publishDate 2016
institution Swansea University
issn 1094-8341
1531-2267
doi_str_mv 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00104.2015
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
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hierarchy_top_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str School of Aerospace, Civil, Electrical, General and Mechanical Engineering - Sport and Exercise Sciences{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Aerospace, Civil, Electrical, General and Mechanical Engineering - Sport and Exercise Sciences
document_store_str 1
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description In this paper we discuss the ethics of genetics-based talent identification programs in sports. We discuss the validity and reliability of the tests and the claims made by direct to consumer companies, before presenting a range of ethical issues concerning child-parent/guardian relations raised by these tests, which we frame in terms of parental/guardian duties, children's rights, and best interests. We argue that greater ethical emphasis needs to be put on the parental decision on the wellbeing on the child going forward, not on ex post justifications on the basis of good and bad consequences. Best interests decisions made by a third party seem to comprise both subjective and objective elements, but only a holistic approach can do justice to these questions by addressing the wellbeing of the child in a temporal manner and taking into account the child's perspective on its wellbeing. Such decisions must address wider questions of what a good (sports)parent ought do to help the child flourish and how to balance the future-adult focus necessary to nurture talent with the wellbeing of the child in the present. We conclude that current genetic tests for “talent” do not predict aptitude or success to any significant degree and are therefore only marginally pertinent for talent identification. Claims that go beyond current science are culpable and attempt to exploit widespread but naïve perceptions of the efficacy of genetics information to predict athletic futures. Sports physicians and health care professionals involved in sport medicine should therefore discourage the use of these tests.
published_date 2016-03-01T03:38:45Z
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score 11.037319

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