Genetic Testing Vs. Individual Privacy Term Paper

PAGES
2
WORDS
563
Cite

Genetics Nathan's mother died of Huntington's Disease, a genetic condition to which he may or may not have been predisposed. He opted not to take a genetic test, even when asked to do so by his employer. It was Nathan's right to opt out of the test, but Nathan claims discrimination and can make a case based on HR493, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. Likewise, the Council for Responsible Genetics is an organization protecting the rights of individuals from having the results of their genetic tests made public. The flip side of the issue is the financial burden felt by insurance companies and the private sector. Insurance companies and the private sector need to know the person's genetic profile in order to make the most profitable decisions for them. Therefore, the ethical issues raised in this case have to do with the rights of corporations vs. The rights of individuals; the ethical imperative to profit vs. The ethical imperative to live in a just society; the ethics of privacy and confidentiality; the ethics of keeping private information secret vs. access to information; and the right to be free from discrimination.

1. What right is more akin with the Constitutional values of the United States: the right to profit or the rights individuals to be free from discrimination? The rights of individuals...

...

The insurance companies and the private sector express concerns related to such things as absenteeism and issues that might require the access to genetic data. If a person has a disease that will lead to performance drops in the workplace, should that person feel entitled to the job, or should that person accept the reality of their genetic history?
3. What is more important: accessing information freely or protecting the privacy of individuals? Accessing information freely is not a universal right, just like privacy is not a universal right. When these two rights conflict, they can create serious ethical conundrums.

Part Two

1. Patenting a gene seems patently wrong. There is no legal precedent for banning such a patent, which is why it is even more important to explain why such an act is ethically spurious. Any patent on biological matter is ethically wrong, because the company did not invent or create the gene. The gene existed before they did, and their company is only trying to capitalize on the potential for that gene to yield future dividends.

2. The government should…

Cite this Document:

"Genetic Testing Vs Individual Privacy" (2014, December 03) Retrieved April 26, 2024, from
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/genetic-testing-vs-individual-privacy-2154421

"Genetic Testing Vs Individual Privacy" 03 December 2014. Web.26 April. 2024. <
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/genetic-testing-vs-individual-privacy-2154421>

"Genetic Testing Vs Individual Privacy", 03 December 2014, Accessed.26 April. 2024,
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/genetic-testing-vs-individual-privacy-2154421

Related Documents

Genetic Testing and Insurance. Specifically, it will contain an analysis and key points of the article. This article discusses whether it is morally and ethically right to use genetic testing to deny health and/or life insurance to certain individuals who might have a genetic predetermination for a specific disease. One key point is whether insurance companies should be allowed to use genetic testing to determine eligibility for insurance and/or to

This past two weeks have been really helpful for deepening my understanding of how nursing practice can have a direct impact on population health as well as improving individual health outcomes. Week one was particularly challenging as we addressed the principles of genetics, from the basic structures of DNA and RNA, to their functions in the body and throughout the life span. I had learned about replication, transcription, and translation

Huntington's disease (HD) was the first autonomic dominant disorder for which genetic prediction became possible" (Harper, et al., 2000, Journal of Medical Genetics, p. 567). HD is a disease that occurs due to an inherited disorder leading to the death of brain cells. A diagnosis of HD is accomplished through genetic testing which can be implemented at any age regardless of whether the symptoms manifest or not. Although, the specific

Ethics and Legal Considerations of Genetic Testing Genetic testing is ideally performed for many valid clinical purposes, including the diagnosis of existing genetic diseases, assessment of disease risks, prognoses of responses to drugs and identification of disease risks in unborn children (MedicineNet, 2002). Though valuable, genetic testing has created significant legal and ethical questions for the healthcare industry, including the Diagnostic Radiography field. Armed with advanced techniques for genetic testing, Diagnostic

1. The concerns Tonya and Lisa have regarding genetic testing raises several ethical questions that Dugas (2005) outlines. The right to self-determination is central in matters linked to genetic testing, and nurses do need to understand their role in providing informed consent when patients are faced with a decision similar to that of Tonya and Lisa (Dugas, 2005). In addition to providing patients with all the information they need to

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