It has been close to six decades since Watson and Crick discovered the
structure of DNA and more than ten years since the human genome was
decoded. Today, through the collection and analysis of a small blood
sample, every baby born in the United States is screened for more than
fifty genetic disorders. Though the early detection of these
abnormalities can potentially save lives, the test also has a high
percentage of false positives—inaccurate results that can take a
brutal emotional toll on parents before they are corrected. Now some
doctors are questioning whether the benefits of these screenings
outweigh the stress and pain they sometimes produce. In Saving
Babies?, Stefan Timmermans and Mara Buchbinder evaluate the
consequences and benefits of state-mandated newborn screening—and
the larger policy questions they raise about the inherent inequalities
in American medical care that limit the effectiveness of this
potentially lifesaving technology. Drawing on observations and
interviews with families, doctors, and policy actors, Timmermans and
Buchbinder have given us the first ethnographic study of how parents
and geneticists resolve the many uncertainties in screening newborns.
Ideal for scholars of medicine, public health, and public policy, this
book is destined to become a classic in its field.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780226924991
Publisert
2018
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Vendor
University of Chicago Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter