In the Family

Listen to Joanna's Interview on Chicago Public Radio (mp3)

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In the Family follows filmmaker Joanna Rudnick as she navigates the uncertain world of genetic information. With the knowledge in hand that she has an up to 85% lifetime risk of breast cancer and an up to 60% lifetime risk of ovarian cancer, she is confronted with which measures to take to prevent the disease suffered by generations of women in her family. As she turns 32, she balances dreams of a family with the unnerving reality that she is delaying decisions by holding on to her fertility.

Joanna looks to other women who carry the BRCA mutation to help her understand her options for the future. Along the way, she also explores the legal, ethical, psychological and social complexities of genetic testing for a disease which has no cure and for which the only proven preventative measures involve removing healthy body parts.

In the Family is a production of Kartemquin Films.