Genetic testing in adoption. The American Society of Human Genetics Social Issues Committee and The American College of Medical Genetics Social, Ethical, and Legal Issues Committee.

Reports from geneticists have stated that prospective adoptive parents and adoption agencies are requesting a wider range of genetic tests before, during, or immediately after the adoption process. It is possible that certain children who are determined to have various harmful or undesirable genetic predispositions or characteristics will have a difficult time being adopted or, if adopted, will be treated differently by adoptive parents. Although these reports must be considered anecdotal or preliminary at the present time, it is clear that the pressure for genetic testing in adoption will increase as the range of available genetic tests increases. The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) and the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) recommend the following: 1. All genetic testing of newborns and children in the adoption process should be consistent with the tests performed on all children of a similar age for the purposes of diagnosis or of identifying appropriate prevention strategies. 2. Because the primary justification for genetic testing of any child is a timely medical benefit to the child, genetic testing of newborns and children in the adoption process should be limited to testing for conditions that manifest themselves during childhood or for which preventive measures or therapies may be undertaken during childhood. 3. In the adoption process, newborns and children should not be tested for the purpose of detecting genetic variations of or predispositions to physical, mental, or behavioral traits within the normal range. These recommendations are designed primarily as an educational resource for medical geneticists and other health care providers, to help them provide quality medical genetic services. Adherence to these recommenda-