The Genetic Privacy Act and commentary
The Genetic Privacy Act is a proposal for federal legislation. The Act is based on the premise that genetic information is different from other types of personal information in ways that require special protection. The DNA molecule holds an extensive amount of currently indecipherable information. The major goal of the Human Genome Project is to decipher this code so that the information it contains is accessible. The privacy question is, accessible to whom? The highly personal nature of the information contained in DNA can be illustrated by thinking of DNA as containing an individual`s {open_quotes}future diary.{close_quotes} A diary is perhaps the most personal and private document a person can create. It contains a person`s innermost thoughts and perceptions, and is usually hidden and locked to assure its secrecy. Diaries describe the past. The information in one`s genetic code can be thought of as a coded probabilistic future diary because it describes an important part of a unique and personal future. This document presents an introduction to the proposal for federal legislation `the Genetic Privacy Act`; a copy of the proposed act; and comment.
- Research Organization:
- New Mexico Dept. of Corrections, Santa Fe, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States); Boston Univ., MA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG02-95ER62080
- OSTI ID:
- 395609
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/ER/62080-1; ON: DE97000826; TRN: 96:006210
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 28 Feb 1995
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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