Recently a bill was passed by congress that would prevent health providers from discriminating against individuals whose genetic information suggest they may be at higher risks for certain diseases. The disclosing of this information traditionally has placed fear in patients of being denied employment or of receiving higher insurance premiums. The immediate significance of this is that not only will individuals feel comfortable providing information to employers and health care providers, but many will also partake in gene testing that will help them identify which diseases they may be at risk for.
"People know we all have bad genes, and we are all potential victims of genetic discrimination," said Representative Louise Slaughter, Democrat of New York, who first proposed the legislation.
"This clears away what in many people's mind had been a real cloud on the horizon," said Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health. "Families with a strong history of genetic disease will have one less worry about the circumstances they find themselves in, and hooray for that."
The bill, which President George W. Bush plans to sign, can also fine employers who decide compensation, or hiring based on genetic information up to $30,000 a case.
It's still sometime before the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act can go into law, 12-18 months, but it's passing has spawned some very intriguing questions: With all the genetic information provided, will it influence people in making decisions in other areas of life, like which sports to participate in, relationships to pursue etc, as the data become more readily available? Will it be a similar process to mitigate through as race and gender have become?
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