Reply #18: I think it's interesting that at least one group I know supposedly

[phylny]

checks the genetic make-up of both potential parents before marriage - Hasidic Jews in our area of New York.

Now, I'm not Hasidim, nor am I Jewish, and I have my own feelings about this group and how they treat women (the other day, I saw a woman struggling with a stroller along the side of the street in freezing temps - because she's not ALLOWED to drive, while I'm sure her husband drove to his job in a nice, warm car...but I digress).

From what I've read, potential couples (matches) go through genetic testing to see if the match would produce children with birth defects. Part of the reason there is this risk is because the genetic pool is limited.

I find this behavior to be very responsible.