Prenatal genetic counseling: ethical and legal interfaces with the nurse's role.

Abstract

Prenatal genetic counseling is a newly emerging clinical specialty that is being developed in response to the public's increased demand for comprehensive genetic services. Nurses who are choosing to function in this new clinical specialty as genetic counselors are finding that they are confronted with a unique set of problems and issues that have both ethical and legal implications for their practice. This paper examines the nature of the nurse's role as genetic counselor, explores the types of ethical decisions nurses are likely to confront, and reviews two court cases that have legal implications for nurses functioning in this highly specialized role.