Genetic Testing
DNA or Genetic testing can be termed the future of medicine. The fast progression in technology has culminated in expeditious development in the field of genomic testing1. This involves scrutinizing DNA, which is data about the chances of developing specific diseases. If there is a hereditary condition that runs in the family, a DNA test can detect the presence of such conditions. Testing can help put the uncertainty of a genetic disorder around a patient’s health to rest. Other than being an invasive procedure, other potential implications of genetic testing for patients are genetic discrimination and lack of data privacy. A positive result for a gene mutation can provide a clue about a disease, but it does not inform the extent of affliction.
Ethical Considerations
Gene profiling is an invasive procedure, using the human body as a data bank and reducing individuals to their genetic characteristics. Dignity and integrity relate to how the human body should be treated.2 Everyone has the right to certain details about him or her being kept private. There is a chance that the DNA data collected will be shared. With racial tensions always high and a history of labeling people through genetic properties, will the use of genetic technologies increase inequality? There has been rising concern about racial categories in forensic genetics and their connection to criminal justice. With the advent of gene profiling and databasing, there is fear that uptake in the Central to these more critical standpoints has been a concern with the potential effects of increased scrutiny of citizens.
Guidelines on genetic testing in Australia
Australia has not enacted laws that regulate the use of genetic information.3 The Disability Discrimination Act enacted in Australia in 1992 provides some cover against discrimination, but the initiative is on the individual rather than The HGSA maintains a register of genetic tests available and where they are performed in Australia. The Australia Law Reform Commission, in a report titled “Essentially Yours” made recommendations in 2003, although they have not been implemented. Australia currently relies on industry self-regulation3.
While airlines testing pilots for genetic susceptibility to motor control could be argued as important in protecting passengers, we also have to consider the pilots’ rights to privacy. After all, there is an equal chance that the disease may or may not occur in an individual.
References
Otlowski M, Tiller J, Barlow-Stewart K, Lacaze P. Genetic testing and insurance in Australia. Aust J Gen Pract. 2019;48(3):96-99.
Williams R, Wienroth M. Social and ethical aspects of forensic genetics: a critical review. Forensic Sci Rev. 2017;29(2):145-169.
Prince A. Comparative perspectives: regulating insurer use of genetic information. Eur J Hum Genet. 2019;27:340–348.