“…irresponsibility is different from wrongness, and almost completely separable from the actual results of what one does. Acting irresponsibly involves the manner in which one makes a decision, considered in the light of possible outcomes of that decision, but not determined by what actually happens.” (Andre, Fleck, Tomlinson 2000)
Does responsibility rely on intentions? Can one be held accountable for events they did not intend to cause? If responsibility is derived from the process of decision making then where should genetic responsibility manifest itself? In the decision to get tested, in the decision to disclose information, in the decision whether to reproduce or not?
No one would intentionally put their children at risk or want them to suffer from a genetic disorder. Mutation carriers that unintentionally put their children at risk of disease can hardly be blamed, but perhaps this stance can only be applied to previous generations, who had no access to genetic testing. If the information is perceived to be available, yet one decides not to discover it - does not having the intention to know translate as an intention to potentially harm?
(image: The Empire of Good Intentions by Alex Drago)
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