title: Sickle Cell Trait Screening of Collegiate Athletes: Ethical Reasons for Program Reform.
abstract: The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) requires all student-athletes have their sickle cell trait (SCT) status confirmed prior to athletic participation. The NCAA approved the screening program in 2010 for institutions participating in Division I athletics and extended it in subsequent years to institutions at Division II and III levels. Ethical concerns about the controversial policy focus on its mandatory nature and potential impact on student-athletes, particularly through stigmatization of and discrimination against those with SCT. Organizations, such as the American Society of Hematology (ASH), oppose the imposition of SCT testing and instead recommend universal precautions that would protect the entire student-athlete population without revealing student-athletes' SCT statuses. This paper discusses these issues and offers recommendations, including genetic counseling, which would improve the current SCT screening program. It argues that implementation of universal precautions would ensure that the most ethically sound practices are afforded to every student-athlete.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, 130 DeSoto St., Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA. rosalieferrari@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Rosalie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, 130 DeSoto St., Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, 130 DeSoto St., Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA.
authors.forename: Robin E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Grubs
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.|Bone Marrow Treatment Program, Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Lakshmanan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Krishnamurti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005817:Genetic Counseling / Q000941:ethics*; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000941:ethics*; D012805:Sickle Cell Trait / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control; D013178:Sports Medicine; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Education; Ethical issues; Genetic counseling; Genetic screening; National Collegiate Athletic Association; Sickle cell trait; Universal precautions