A “Genetic Bill of Rights”

A Genetic Bill of Rights—From Lori Andrews, a professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law, who chaired the federal ethics advisory committee to the Human Genome Project.

* You should have the right to refuse genetic testing and not to disclose genetic information, except in criminal cases in which there is individualized suspicion.

* You should not be discriminated against by insurers, employers, schools, courts, mortgage lenders or other institutions based on genetic tests.

* If you undergo genetic testing, you should have the right to control who receives the results.

* Your genes should not be used in research without your consent, even if your tissue sample has been made anonymous.

* Your genes should not be patented.

Makes sense to me. Yet, apparently 20% of our genes are owned by companies holding patents, which is having a chilling effect in medical testing.