However, an individual should be able to investigate their own roots, even if the science is questionable. When such information is released into the public domain without the individual's permission though, a lot of harm can be done. Making invasions into a person's genetic history illegal is probably the best remedy. Genetic testing has become an important tool for medical diagnosis and treatments (Norrgard) and therefore should be available to anyone needing or requesting such services. What is done with this information, however, is another matter. Family members may suspect they have an increased risk for an early onset or even fatal disease, but would prefer not to know if effective treatments and cures are unavailable. Should one family member decide to get tested, then this may create friction between family members concerning their wishes and personal privacy because the results would...

Should such information be released to the public, the risk that the information will be used to violate the human and civil rights of the individual is increased. When this person holds an influential position in society, the risk is even greater. The general trend in western society has been to move towards egalitarian principles, but the public release of genetic information could threaten to reverse this trend by creating a new kind of genetic caste system.
Works Cited

Norrgard, K. "Ethics of Genetic Testing: Medical Insurance and Genetic Discrimination." Nature Education 1.1 (2008). Web. 3 May 2013.

Abbott, a. "Genome Test Slammed for Assessing Racial Purity." Nature 486 (2012):167.