We present here papers from some of the major cultural communities in the world. Culture encompasses the beliefs, mores, and behaviors of groups of peoples and guides their decision-making the face of changes in health and family life. Genomic technologies, which bring new knowledge about the inheritance of risk for illness, can lead patients and families to consider the possibilities of testing and treatment that may never have been available in their past experience. For many communities, the guidance of culture and the advice of elders and religious leaders provides helpful avenues for action. In some instances, people seek information about prior decisions in similar circumstances. But in the case of genetics and genomics, there may be no precedents upon which to draw. People may seek advice from those outside of their cultural groups, and may be supported and consoled as they learn about the dilemmas that others have coped with.