The ethics and impact on behaviour of knowledge about one's own genome

"People need to know about their genes and be aware of diseases that may oc cur"; "the more information available the more informed choices are." These positive comments on the value of genetic testing tame from two visitors t o a drop-in "gene shop" which gave information about genetics at Manchester airport, funded as part of the Euroscreen 2 project with staff from the Ro yal Manchester Children's Hospital Trust.(1) They were typical of the visit ors who were enthusiastic about testing for themselves and their partners. The Genetic Interest Group, many of whose members tome from families affect ed by genetic disorders, is similarly enthusiastic arguing that "genetic se rvices offer people the potential to acquire information about their geneti c make up [which] although it might be bad news, at least allows them to pl an out their lives and make informed reproductive decisions,"(2) For those who are aware that they are at risk, a genetic test for a specific disorder may well be empowering-it will provide either reassurance or confirmation of that risk. But what would knowledge of their own genetic make up mean fo r the general population?