ABSTRACT
The alarm raised at the prospect of commercial testing is an extension of the anxieties already in existence relating to the social repercussions and the ethical difficulties raised by the provision of genetic testing. Genetic testing permits glimpses into the future, and such predictions — as a science rather than an art — are still relatively new and often produce hostile, knee-jerk reactions. The Genetic Interest Group undertook a simple survey of its members to discover the circumstances under which people would consider requesting genetic tests through commercial companies, and what services they thought it would be necessary and/or desirable for those companies to offer. Nevertheless, the survey shows clearly that the majority of respondents considered face-to-face counselling to be very important, perhaps essential, and that other methods such as the provision of written information or telephone counselling were regarded as a bare minimum rather than a desirable level of service.
