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Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2000;154:850-851.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

The article by Elger and Harding¹ was a welcome treat: a discussion of the ethical issues raised by gene testing adolescents for BRCA1. Although they clarify that the gene test is supposed to be done at a research center as part of a study,¹(p114) their analysis fails to address the issue of consent in research and whether that differs from consent in routine health care.² Instead, they assume that because adolescents have been given the right to make decisions and have information held confidentially with respect to sexually transmitted diseases,¹(p117) the same arguments apply to gene testing. In fact, the strongest argument to support adolescent autonomy in the area of sexually transmitted diseases is a public health argument. Namely, we want at-risk individuals to seek health care early. The arguments rarely focus on whether the adolescent has the competency to make such decisions.³ In contrast, one would . . . [Full Text of this Article]