'Ethnicity testing' before adoption: a help or hindrance?

‘If it's Only a Blood Test, Which isn't Very Traumatic, Why Not?’ Exploring Predictive Genetic Testing in Adoption

“…The research group I worked in has previously argued that attempts to match ethnicity through DNA testing are misfounded and unhelpful (Lucassen et al, 2010b), and many interviewees thought there was a danger of this match ing process evolv ing too far in terms of genetic testing; they cited prospective parents wanting 'perfect children', 'clean and clear' of disease or disability. All professionals were quick to point out that some families adopt children unconditionally, but among those interviewed, there did seem to be a rising concern that too much choice might lead to prospective adopters beginning to view this group of children as a commodity.…”

Relatively (im) material: mtDNA and genetic relatedness in law and policy

“…Accordingly, the HFEA’s starting point was that mtDNA is not part of the genetic structure, and therefore is not identity determining. However, Lenny Moss has argued that there has been a conflation of two distinct historical types of concept, ‘gene P(henotype)’ and ‘gene D(NA)', which leads to the popular idea of having genes for characteristics ( Moss 2003 ). This conceptualisation is evident in the HFEA’s language above, which de-limits the role of mtDNA, but in doing so tends to suggest that there are indeed ‘genes for’ characteristics (eg eye colour ii ), which does not recognise the complexity of genomics.…”