Abstract

The ethical views of 2,903 geneticists in 37 nations were surveyed and compared by gender. Women made up about half the physicians and PhDs and the great majority of genetic counselors. US women physicians differed from men physicians on 13% of 491 ethical questions; genetic counselors differed from all MDs on 60% and from women MDs on 46%. Women physicians were similar to men in directiveness and most counseling after prenatal diagnosis. More women would refer for sex selection, more would warn a patient's relatives of genetic risks against the patient's wishes, and fewer would test children for genes for adult-onset disorders. Genetic counselors were less directive than physicians, more likely to preserve confidentiality, and less willing themselves to abort. Outside the United States, women physicians differed from men 43% of the time; they were more directive than men, more pessimistic about disabilities, more willing to abort fetuses with genetic disorders, and more likely to place the health of potential children or the welfare of family above parental autonomy. No universal "women's ethic" emerged from the study; culture and professional locus affected views more than gender.