This book examines contemporary public debate on emerging developments in medical genetics, including cloning, gene therapy, gene patenting, biobanks, genetic testing and screening, and pharmacogenomics. The basic science and the ethical, political and social issues are outlined in a user-friendly manner. The book explores the main actors in these debates, their core positions and characteristic arguments. This book is intended as a primer, well-indexed and cross referenced for ease of use at different levels. It includes a glossary, a guide on how to keep updated in this fast changing field, text-boxes, tables and mapping diagrams of complex interactions.