US Senate Backs Genetic Privacy

An anonymous reader writes "According to an article at NYTimes.com (free registration required), the US Senate has unanimously voted for the first Genetic Privacy Bill. Basically, this would make it illegal for employers and insurers to deny employment or benefits based on genetic analysis of your DNA. While it still needs to be passed by the House, it seems that we're not heading towards a Gattaca-esque society, after all. Hooray for us genetically inferior invalids!"

Comments

In Canada

[WormholeFiend]

wouldnt that type of discrimination be automatically covered by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms?

contracts, people, contracts

[dh003i]

Regarding companies deciding to "take a peek at your DNA" from a bloodtest, that would or would not be permitted based on the contract between you and the doctor for the taking and testing of your blood. If the contract said that they were taking your blood to test it for HIV and hepatitis, then that's all they can test it for; anything else is a breech of contract on their part, and punishable as such. Contract law forms a perfectly reasonable basis for privacy (of course, let's not forget that the biggest invader of our privacy is the government, which presumes to be the sainted protector of that very right which it violates most aggregiously).