Genetic screening raises questions for employers and insurers
Kolata, G.
Science 232(4748): 317-319
1986
ISSN/ISBN: 0036-8075 PMID: 2938255 DOI: 10.1126/science.2938255Document Number: 354766
The prospect of tests to detect susceptibility to genetic diseases that will develop later in life or under certain environmental conditions raises many ethical concerns. Among these are the experimental nature of these tests, the age at which they should be offered to individuals, and the repercussions of disclosing test results to patients, employers, and insurance companies. At present, research is most advanced on the marker for Huntington's disease, and Massachusetts General Hospital and Johns Hopkins University Hospital soon will become the first institutions to offer screening for this disorder. Although Johns Hopkins plans to treat the results as confidential research data, many investigators acknowledge that it will be difficult in the future to keep the information from third parties. Kolata warns that now is the time to develop policies for handling data, before widespread genetic testing becomes a reality.