Time Magazine is running an article entitled, "Angelina Jolie’s Double Mastectomy: What We Know About BRCA Mutations and Breast Cancer." Writing about Jolie, the article states, "Describing her decision as 'My Medical Choice,' the 37-year-old actress revealed in an op-ed in the New York Times that she carries the BRCA1 gene mutation, which gives her an 87% risk of developing breast cancer at some point in her life."
Questions for Discussion:
1. Do you think that genetic mapping is an important development in medical science? Why or why not? See if you can develop arguments on different sides of this question.
2. If you could say one thing to Angelina Jolie that she would hear, what would you say? Why would you say it?
3. There are many different medical tests that all people should take on a regular basis. What tests do you think are most important for people to take? What could you do to attract attention to the importance of this test?
4. The article states, "While radical, her decision to pre-empt any future cancer is a common one, and backed by studies. In 2010, Australian scientists found that women with the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations who chose to have preventive mastectomies did not develop breast cancer over the three-year follow-up." What does this say? What does it mean? Do you think that it's fair to call Jolie's decision "radical"? Why or why not?
5. The you think that human body is sacred? Why or why not? What would it mean for the human body to be sacred? If the body is sacred, how should we treat it? Do you think that Angelina Jolie believes that the human body is sacred? Why or why not?
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