A Silicon Valley firm created a personalized testing service for $99.00, enabling customers to send a saliva sample and receive a detailed picture of their genetic makeup. The report provided an analysis of their ancestry and also told them whether they have genes predisposing them to any one of 254 hereditary diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and breast cancer. In November 2013, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered the company to stop issuing the health analysis component of the report. (The Week Staff, 2013) The company had to seek approval from the FDA to provide these health reports to their customers. Almost two years later, in October 2015, the company succeeded in getting approval to offer customers information on 36 inherited disorders, far fewer than the original 254.
Discuss the following questions:
Is this overreaching paternalism or rational regulation?
What can an individual do with information that tells them they are prone to heart disease, cancer, or Alzheimer’s disease? Is it useful or dangerous?
Should medical analysis be provided in this manner?
Should individuals receive this information without appropriate genetic counseling?
Given that the insurance industry is in the business of assessing risk, is it unfair for it to discriminate against individuals found to have a genetic predisposition to, say, mental health problems?
Should parents be obligated to use gene therapy if it were available to fix any genetic abnormalities in their children?
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