Would You Take a Genetic Test for Your Health?

It's not a matter of being scared... I just don't see the need to take tests concerning my genetic makeup...

What's gonna happen is gonna happen.. I'm gonna live, I'm gonna die... I'm gonna do whatever I can to make a lasting positive impression on society before the latter happens...

I already know I have a genetic disorder.

no way.....even if I wanted to know I wouldn't.

Ignorance is BLISS!

I'm too old to worry about it.

man, I already know my family has got a laundry list of health problems...especially on my dad's side..woah

No way, I do not want anyone to have that information- plus I never plan to have children. Why bother?

I already know what my genes are for the most part just by looking around at my family and talking to them. I would take the test out of curiosity if it wasn't too much.

No, it's ABCnews failing at making scientific polls yet again. If you want legitimate results and want to be seen as a legitimate news source, you need to learn how to make good polls and good options. That is to say, if it's a "yes" or "no" question, just give "yes" or "no" options and let us put our own reasons in the comments. Not "Yes because I want info" or "No because it's scary".

Maybe

I wish I had known our family had the Marfan gene. It might have changed my life. I dont know.

already have...it has helped to determine there was no known hereditary link to the cause of our 2 disabled children...and that our oldest healthy son and his wife would have the same risk for as anyone else....in some ways less risk as certain genetic problems were eliminated as possible due to the knowing of personal genetic issues....they now are proud parents of a healthy son and a healthy daughter.
It also enabled my husband and I, 19 years ago to decide intelligently with needed info versus just emotionally deciding whether we should have more children...after the 2 with disabilities. We had another healthy son....There was never a question that we could not love a child with disabilities....but we knew that we would not purposely have children that would have more challenging lives and would adopt should it be revealed that we would have a great risk for this happening.
Knowledge is power....not a lack of trust or commitment.

As long as it was 'invasive, humiliating and protracted' I'll do anything medical. So why not a simple gene test?

sure why not

I would honestly not want to know if and when I am going to die or get a certain disease. That would scare me. I want to live my life day by day and not worry about the future.

Actually, I am aware of the fact that I lost a lot of aunts and uncles to heart disease and diabetes . . . I really know that. Plus, my maternal grandmother died a double-amputee; falling victim to Diabetes. I am more concerned about the health of my two surviving children and their kids too . . . I lost one daughter to a brain tumor and my wife died from Heart Disease. Let's understand too that there are so many cases where the gene is carried but it is finally proven to be irrelevant . . . But then, again, I could be diagnosed next week as "The Probable Next One To Go" . . .

its not required actually...

IN TWO GENETIC STUDIES PRESENTLY WITH TWO MAJOR UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTERS.... MY ROLE IN FUTURE KNOWLEDGE FOR FAMILY MEMBERS.

Why wouldn't someone do it?

The more you know, the better to handle problems.

That sounds awesome!

I'd like to know what to prepare for and what I can prevent and what I can't.

There are a lot of silent killers out there I want to know in order to halt any present or future illnesses.

.

As long as the info is confidential, may as well know what's coming down the pike.

Sure, why not?

Yes but I would fly to a foreign country and have it done out of pocket. There is a strict limit on my trust for the increasingly corrupt interconnection between the govt, insurance and medical providers.

Kinda late for me, but why not.

Doesn't matter to me, as a whole. What I know now about my family's medical issues is sufficient, and what I don't know will be revealed when I need it.

I don't think there is anything scary about it.

It's only scary because it's just another reason to get ripped off by doctors...

GATTACA

If the test was affordable or covered by my insurance.

What is scary is that ABCnews.com would in anyway allow it's name to be associated with a question, a so called "poll" as horrifically unscientific and weighted as this one. My only options are "Yes. I want any info I can get" and "No... it's scary?" What does ABC news think it's getting here? If they are interested in the comments I guess but why not more poll options?

This post needs to be raved to the top.

Yes but only if that information remains private and is never put into one of the national health databases.

I must say though if the aliens scouped me up in there ship, I would say yeah sure heal me :)

It is not scary at all.

Depends on what it cost.

Not only would I, but I did. Before I started going out on dates to get married, I got myself checked for Tay-Sachs. It was negative, but had it been positive, I would have been able to filter out candidates for the honor of being my wife.