Abstract: Genetic counselling concerns itself with the problems faced by patients and their families in the light of the occurrence, or the risk of occurrence, of an inherited genetic disorder. A primary goal of genetic testing is to enhance the capacity to diagnose, treat and potentially eliminate genetic disorders by selective abortion. In response to the increasing emphasis on genetics in medicine, it has been proposed that general practitioners should provide a frontline counseling service in clinical genetics. In view of this proposal and especially in the light of the importance and delicacy of the issues raised by genetic testing, this paper reports on the first ever stuffy, evaluating the knowledge and attitude of medical students in Iran towards genetic counselling and selective abortion. In Iran all medical students spend a period as a GP on qualification. Two hundered medical students, half of whom had taken a compulsory course on genetic medicine as part of their general practitioner training and half of whom had not, were invited to complete a questionnaire. The results show that both groups of students knowledge of genetic testing and its implications was very low before they sat the course and that it was not increased substantially by having done so. Perhaps most importantly, students in both groups continued to believe that abnormal foetuses should be terminated. The study revealed that, despite the rapid growth of medical genetics and awareness of genetic disorders, the education and training of medical staff and particularly family practitioners in Iran does not currently prepare medical students adequately for their future role.