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.

Next
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

How the State Failed Noelia Castillo

Itxu Díaz

On March 26, Noelia Castillo, a twenty-five-year-old Spanish woman, was killed by her doctors at her own…

The Mind’s Profane and Sacred Loves

Algis Valiunas

The teachers you have make all the difference in your life. That they happened to come into…

History’s Pro Tips on Iran

Francis X. Maier

Nothing in human experience compares to the wars of the last 120 years. Their scope has grown…