Legal Implications
President Bush Signs H.R. 493.
Source: Digital Media Database, June 2008.
President Clinton signed an Executive Order on February 8, 2000 that prohibited federal agencies from using genetic information to discriminate in hiring and promotion decisions.
President Bush signed into law the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) on May 21, 2008, which prohibits insurance companies and employers from using genetic information to discriminate against individuals.
Excerpt from the GINA
Title II: Prohibiting Employment Discrimination on the Basis of Genetic Information - (Sec. 202) Prohibits, as an unlawful employment practice, an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee from discriminating against an employee, individual, or member on the basis of genetic information, including: (1) for an employer, by failing to hire or discharging an employee or otherwise discriminating against an employee with respect to the compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment; (2) for an employment agency, by failing or refusing to refer an individual for employment; (3) for a labor organization, by excluding or expelling a member from the organization; (4) for an employment agency, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee, by causing or attempting to cause an employer to discriminate against a member in violation of this Act; or (5) for an employer, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee, by discriminating against an individual in admission to, or employment in, any program established to provide apprenticeships or other training or retraining.
President Bush signed into law the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) on May 21, 2008, which prohibits insurance companies and employers from using genetic information to discriminate against individuals.
Excerpt from the GINA
Title II: Prohibiting Employment Discrimination on the Basis of Genetic Information - (Sec. 202) Prohibits, as an unlawful employment practice, an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee from discriminating against an employee, individual, or member on the basis of genetic information, including: (1) for an employer, by failing to hire or discharging an employee or otherwise discriminating against an employee with respect to the compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment; (2) for an employment agency, by failing or refusing to refer an individual for employment; (3) for a labor organization, by excluding or expelling a member from the organization; (4) for an employment agency, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee, by causing or attempting to cause an employer to discriminate against a member in violation of this Act; or (5) for an employer, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee, by discriminating against an individual in admission to, or employment in, any program established to provide apprenticeships or other training or retraining.
Source: H.R.493 Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) of 2008. Library of Congress: THOMAS, March 2012.
Moral and Ethical Implications
Many people worried about the moral and ethical consequences resulting from the Human Genome Project (HGP). The U.S. government dedicated 3% to 5% of the HGP budget to study the project's ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI), making it the world's largest bioethical program. Some ELSI issues include genetic privacy, insurance discrimination and biased employment decisions.
Source: Illustratie - Silhouet vrouw hand bezit op de
schaal om te wegen objecten in evenwicht. 123RF, 2013.
David Smith, Ph.D., Former Director, Department of Energy Human Genome Program
Source: Interview, February 23, 2013
Source: Interview, February 23, 2013