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President Bush Signs Genetic Nondiscrimination Act
artemis67 writes "This past week, President Bush signed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), which would prevent health insurers and employers from discriminating against individuals on the basis of their genetic information. GINA is the first and only federal legislation that will provide protections against discrimination based on an individual's genetic information in health insurance coverage and employment settings.'"
From the article: "Just a few weeks ago, GINA received overwhelming support in both the Senate, with a unanimous vote of approval, and the House of Representatives, where the legislation was passed by a landslide vote of 414-1."
Who was the one who voted against this?
An article in Nature (proprietry web) a month ago analyzed the genetic content of James Watson, the co-discoverer of the genetic code, and the 2nd of four known people to have their genomes fully sequenced. Dr. Watson had three thousand observed mutations of which 32 were in the database of genetic diseases. This included Retinitis Pigmentosa, kidney failure and other potentially devasting diseases. However, it is not known why they were not expressed in his case. This is all the more reason to keep insurance companies from canceling insurances to those who might have any sort of genetic defect.
P.S. No, they did not discover the gene for making stupid racist remarks, which forced Dr. Watson into retirement last year.
It's an unusual sentiment for me, but I must applaud President Bush for being foresighted enough to pass this legislation.
I recently attended a futorological lecture at Oxford University on the possibility of genetically engineered 'persons' (not necessary human persons). The lecture was given by Nobel prize-winner John Sulston (an important figure in the human-genome project), John Harris (a bioethics expert), and was hosted by Richard Dawkins. The panel was very much in favour of continued research into genetic modification of humans, but placed a strong emphasis on the need for legislation to prevent powerful cliques from monopolising or abusing the technology.
One important point they made is that (just about) any technology can be used to give an overwhelming opportunity to those who are free to enjoy it, but that the norms of modern Western societies ensure that most people have the potential to take advantage of the majority of science's blessings. However, we can't simply trust large corporations or other powerful institutions to equitably distribute the advantages of these technologies. Regulation is needed, and Bush is providing a good first step.
So, in summary, we must continue to research and to pursue all avenues of research, but the applications of the research need to be very carefully thought through.
Phoenix, Boston, Little Rock, see a pattern?
Maybe. I keep wonderng where the loophole is, and how big it is.
Well they've been using family history for a while; which is basic an easy way to get someone's genetic profile......
I wonder how that will fare under the law.
Technology, the cause of and solution to all of life's problems.
Before you start accusing George Bush of sanity, I suggest you read the signing statement that almost certainly accompanies this new law.
This week, in Federal Court, the Bush Administration has asserted that the AUMF (the bill congress passed to give him permission to invade Iraq) also gives him the right to have the military (that's military, not police) have the right to arrest a US citizen on US soil and hold him indefinitely as an enemy combatant.
Now the Bush administration has asserted this right before, but because of inherent executive powers, which while being insane is at least consistent. But now, he's asserting these military-police dictatorial powers come from a bill passed by congress authorizing a foreign invasion.
This is astonishing, but frankly, I'm too disturbed by this new development to be astonished.
So before you start giving Bush a thumbs-up for some genetic anti-discrimination law, and start feeling comfortable that you will hang on to some shred of personal liberty, you might want to keep in mind that he's now asserting complete dictatorial powers and he could give a good god damn about the Constitution or any bill he has signed, because when it comes right down to it, he's now calling the shots and it's going to take more than some silly little election, or court, or congress to change things.
You are welcome on my lawn.
ATTTACAGATTAC
Seeing that made me think of the movie title "Gattaca", at which point I realized that "Gattaca" was actually deliberately named using only a,t,c,g on purpose... digging in wikipedia confirms that it was named for an enzyme, EcoRI, that cuts "GAATTC"
I'd never really thought about the significance of the title before. Makes an already great movie, just a little bit better. Thanks for that epiphany...
The point of insurance is that you pay to get rid of your own risk. (Well, not to get rid of it entirely, but to get rid of the major consequence of something bad happening: having to pay a lot of money). If your risk is higher, you need to pay more. If your risk is lower, you get to pay less.
Consider extending your analogy. People with a lot of car accidents pay more for insurance. People with a clean record pay less. What would you think of a proposal that would make everyone pay the same amount for auto insurance? I'd think it would be pretty ridiculous, and I think you should too. And while one might moralize that people can't help their health so much as their driving habits, that's not the issue of an insurance company, Health or otherwise.
The problem is people who want some level of socialism and try to get it through insurance regulation and end up losing the free-market benefits while not even gaining much as a result. If you want other people to pay for your health care (and that of everyone else) stop beating around the bush and wagging your fingers at the insurance companies and admit you want socialized medicine. Then we can at least address it on its own terms.
The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
Injecting, inhaling, coating yourself in, and/or swallowing something that makes you addicted to a substance does not constitute a disease. I believe, though I don't really care enough to look (for fear I'm probably wrong anyway), that the AMA called the addiction itself a disease, simply because being deprived of the addictive substance affects your body adversely.
Aside from that (and this is a stretch, but people with shiny hatwear will appreciate it), the FDA will not allow the sale of patches, pills or other methods to curb smoking habits as medical devices unless they can be used to cure a disease. It's the same thing that Kevin Trudeau guy got in trouble for. Only medicines can cure diseases, and only the FDA can approve medicines. So, unless it's a disease, these things cannot be marketed as cures, and the only way they can be marketed as cures is if the FDA approves them as medicines. How much money do you think is wrapped up in stop-smoking products?
An addiction to masturbation is quite the same way. As I'm sure many people here can attest to, without "getting the poison out," a person can be caused pain, become irritable, lose sleep, perform poorly at work or sports, can acquire jitters or shakes, and various other things that would be the same for a person who hasn't puffed on their death stick. Does that mean that I should get a fifteen minute spank break every two hours at work?
Cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, gambling, sex, MMOs, and many many other things that are considered addictions are not. They are merely a weakness of character. If they are actually addictions, then I should get my UFC tickets to be covered by my insurance, because I'm certainly ADDICTED to that.
Demon tobacco is an easy whipping boy, that's all it is.
Christ, a job I once had was a real great one. Hi sarcasm. The first floor was where they stuck all the fat cows -- I don't know how or why it worked out like that, but you'd be lucky to fit 4 in an elevator. And these were big elevators. 12 normal people would fit in them.
These bitches would take the elevator DOWN. ONE FLIGHT OF STAIRS. AND STILL BE OUT OF BREATH.
Meanwhile, my smoker's ass is running up and down 6 flights of stairs because the elevator is too slow.
But let's demonize tobacco, not lazy ass fatties who exhaust themselves pushing their chair away from their desk.
Tobacco is simply easy to demonize. Nobody wants to stand up and defend it -- not even most smokers. Alcohol at least gets people up in arms..
... still waiting for this free-as-in-beer free beer I keep hearing about.