Genetic Privacy: New Intrusion a New Tort
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Authors
Makdisi, June Mary Z.
Issue Date
2001
Volume
34
Issue
4
Type
Journal Article
Language
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
INTRODUCTION|The completion of the Human Genome Project has electrified the scientific world. What once was possible only in the domain of the science fiction thriller has reached real world possibility. We stand at the brink of Huxley's Brave New World. Already in place is the technical proficiency to discover personal information about individuals by securing and analyzing the tiniest of pieces of biological specimen. An invisible drop of blood, a strand of hair, or even a speck of dandruff can be tested for the presence of specific genes and thereby reveal much personal information about the former host. Whereas in the past genetics focused on the study of disease, genes may now be analyzed to discover a far broader range of information about the biological make-up. Research will reveal what characteristics result from the presence of specific genes. Gene tests will be administered to determine the presence (or absence) of specific traits, including those ordinarily hidden from view or those which might never manifest. The problem with this powerful breakthrough in scientific research is that the privacy of the individual becomes vulnerable to increased intrusion. An unauthorized snooper will be able to learn personal information about another person that is quite intimate and perhaps embarrassing. It is possible that such information...
Description
Citation
34 Creighton L. Rev. 965 (2000-2001)
Publisher
Creighton University School of Law