preview

Should The Government And Other Agencies Be Able To Evaluate The Dna Case Study

Good Essays

Should the government and other agencies be able to view our sequenced DNA? DNA has always been known to the common person as the genetic material that is found in every cell in your body to express your different traits from your hair color to your fingerprint. Though most don’t know that your DNA can also give information about what diseases or chronic illnesses you are predisposed too10. New technological advancements in the medical field have led to scientists being able to sequence your whole genome to determine your ancestral past and diseases that you are at risk for. Companies, such as 23andMe and Navigenics, have begun to advertise and share information about this new scientific advancement that can revolutionize the future of …show more content…

This method, as well as the Maxam and Gilbert method, for sequencing DNA are transforming the world of science, medicine and the views of people around the world. These advancements in science are giving people amazing new perspectives on how to go about their medical lives, though all that information can potentially be harmful to citizens. How the government and other agencies, such as insurance companies, intervene and try to gain access to this information for its own personal benefits can affect whether or not people will use it. This technology, not being held under the FDA regulations, make it very scrutinized by the government in association with knowledge about possible mutations that could lead to diseases. Government agencies, such as the GAO or FTC, claim that these companies are “mislead[ing] consumers by making predictions that are medically unproven and so ambiguous that they do not provide meaningful information to consumers1.” The companies would argue that the purpose for the DNA sequencing is to give insight to possibilities that could affect the future health of its customers and would say that they aren’t giving a diagnosis of any diseases or cancers. Of course, the beneficial use of this technology to the government in fighting crime isn’t related to their stance on how non-meaningful their medical advice is.

Get Access