Jean-etics and the Lavv (Genetics and the Law)

In recent years, due to a dramatic advances in genetics research, many legal and bioethical issues have arisen about how gene research can and cannot be used. Although many of these issues have arisen, I am going to turn my microscope on to the 40x lens and focus in on legislation related to stem cell research and legislation related to discrimination based upon genetic make up, just two bioethical issues on the slide of genetics and the law. First I will delve in to the mysterious concept of discrimination based upon the genes that one is born with.

This concept, as implausible as it may seem, is actually fairly possible. This is well illustrated in a movie called GATTACA (For some unknown reason when you turn on captions that transcribe the audio the name changes to CUAAUGU), where job interviews consist of having one’s DNA read. Legislation been around this has been discussed for around 15 years, but a bill was only recently passed by former President George W. Bush in 2008. Legislation regarding this scenario is pretty straightforward; discrimination against any person because of their genetic makeup is not permitted in the United States. This pertains particularly to hiring companies and insurance companies. Companies are forbidden from using genetic tendencies towards disease as factors when hiring or promoting. Also, insurance companies cannot mandate genetic tests or use similar data in deciding whether to insure a certain person This is instrumental because many people refused to get genetically tested even when it opens up many treatment options due to fear of unemployment or lack of insurance. It seems like a stretched comparison, but if discrimination was allowed to reach the point of genetics, it would share qualities with racial discrimination of the 1960s. In the 1960s, black people did not register to vote for fear of the registrar contacting the attempted registrants employer and having the attempted registrant fired. In that scenario, the discriminated had to abstain from voting and if a situation analogous to life in GATTACA arose, people would steer clear of getting genetically tested. Refusing to get genetically tested could lead to people not learning about hereditary or other diseases as early as they should, which in turn severely limits treatment options. This so called Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act is instrumental in preventing our world from becoming a utopian world full of unfairness such as the worlds in sci-fi movies like GATTACA and Minority Report.

 Here is a sketchfu I put together that would be very useful for a PSA if this bill hadn't already been passed or it could be useful if our world goes all GATTACA on us.

Learn how to draw cartoons, comics, and anime at Sketchfu!

Now let’s have a rhetorical discussion (you can comment if you must) about stem cell research and legislation related to it, particularly Executive Order 13505 that was issued by President Barack Obama in March of 2009. Stem cell research, ever since its discovery, has led to many advances in science. If you would like to learn more about stem cells as a whole, you can check out my fellow classmates blog post about it here: http://sarasbioblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/stem-cell-research.html. Essentially, this order allows stem cell research, as long as it is carried out responsibly and used only for advances in medical research that are legal. This order also provides guidelines and budget for the NIH to research stem cells. In addition, this order revokes a previous presidential order that put restrictions on stem cell research. This EO was issued because stem cell research is quickly advancing and has the potential to help many medical treatment processes and open many doors.

Sources: 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/05/21/us-genetics-bush-idUSN2143439320080521

http://stemcells.nih.gov/policy/2009guidelines.htm

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