Genetic counseling is a biomedical practice that emerged in the United States in the 1940s and spread elsewhere in the world with the popularization of genetic information and the new genetics in public health. Genetic counseling sessions aim to inform and guide individuals on their genetic tests, presenting probabilities, risks, and genetic diseases. This biomedical practice thus combines health care, social assistance, and education. This study describes the emergence and development of genetic counseling and discusses some of its ethical challenges.
