Sue Van Brocklin, Cole & Weber, 503/226-2821

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 14, 1997

"A QUESTION OF GENES: INHERITED RISKS" AIRS SEPTEMBER 16 ON PBS

A Provocative Look at Families and Their Genetic Discoveries

PORTLAND, Ore. - Follow the personal journey of individuals and families as they discover their genetic risk of disease in a special two-hour program from Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB), and the Chedd-Angier Production Company. Through stories told by the participants themselves, "A Question of Genes" explores the profound personal drama as well as the social and ethical dilemmas raised by genetic testing.

Produced, directed and written by Noel Schwerin, the film takes the viewer into the lives of a handful of people at the heart of genetic dilemmas: Jim and Marilyn Lewis-Hampton, a couple who long for children, but learn while pregnant about the risk of cystic fibrosis (CF) in their family; Kathleen Clayton, a long-time heart disease patient whose genetic test reveals an unexpected risk of another major disease; Janet Walsh, the daughter of an Alzheimer's victim who is determined to know her own fate; and several other families at risk for breast and ovarian cancer.

The PBS special explores moral and ethical questions behind the promise of genetics. Will newly expecting parents want to know the fate of their unborn child? Will a woman who had a preventive mastectomy choose to find out whether she has the same mutated gene that killed her sisters? Will a mother want to know her chances, as well as her children's chances, of getting a debilitating disease? Genetic tests can predict risks, but how will the testing change lives?

"We've never seen what genetic testing really means for the way people live their lives," says producer Schwerin. "We hear a lot about the promise of genetics, but rarely about the moral dilemmas it creates for people. If a prenatal test for a certain disease is available, am I now obliged to take it? Do I really want to know that I have an increased- but not certain- risk of getting Alzheimer's when there's little I can do about it? This program asks as many questions as it answers, but beginning the dialogue about genetics is vital," said Schwerin.

"A Question of Genes: Inherited Risks" is scheduled for broadcast on PBS stations September 16, 1997 at 9 p.m. Viewers should check local listings for details. The program is funded in part by SmithKline Beecham and the Department of Energy. Visit the web site after September 1, at www.pbs.org/gene/.