In: Biology
As more is learned about genes, there is a risk that the information will be used to define certain members of society by their genetic makeup. What do you think is the meaning of the terms genetic discrimination and genetic privacy? What are some ways to protect against this type of genetic discrimination?
Genetic discrimination means when people are treated differently by their employer/insurance company because they have a gene mutation that causes or increase risk of an inherited disorder.
Sometimes these people become unable to get jobs because of their genes.
This kind of treatment creates fear in people from participating in new tests,therapies and cure.
There are some laws established by government of different counties to stop genetic discrimination.
One such law is Genetic information nondiscrimination act(GINA) made functional by US government which protect people against genetic discrimination.
Many hopes that passage of GINA will advance medical research in addition to protecting people's civil rights.
GINA also recognizes that a key to genetic research is for people willing to participate and feel confident in sharing their DNA with scientists.
Genetic privacy means to set a wall around a person's genetic information so that no one can exploit/access that information without the person's express consent.
But ensuring person's privacy is not simple or desirable as it sound.
On one hand,adding genetic information that can be interpreted in different ways will simply increase the exposure of patient to a system that is already faulty in practice while on other hand passing laws that give an indivisual total control over his genetic information would create enormous tension between the indivisuals and the people and groups that would like to or might even need to get access to that information such as spouses,doctors etc.
In conclusion we can say that right to genetic privacy is a recipe for decades of legal wrangling.