I recently saw an article about legislation that just passed through the Senate that would ban genetic discrimination. I'm not exactly sure what genetic discrimination entails but i think that is good to know that our rights are being protected before concerns even arise about the intrusiveness of this new technology. The article reminded me a lot of the movie
Gattaca, a science fiction flick about genetic diagnosis. It really amazes me that actual science is catching up to our science-fiction movies.
Genetic testing holds great promise with its ability to help diagnose and foresee medical problems much earlier so i found it hard to believe that insurance companies would actually oppose the practice because they might have to pay many claims to people who were previously thought to be healthy. Isn't saving lives and making progress in the field of science and medicine more important than the profits of insurance companies?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7366264.stm
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i think genetic discrimination is like when you have a family history of some health issue, so they treat you like you've already got it. it might not even be something you or your family knows about, and it would only hurt your opportunities in the job market, so that would make sense that people wouldn't want it, if what i just guessed is true. but then again, i really have no idea.
the scifi thing you said is totally true though, and something i know alot more about. science fiction is really just dreams of the future that haven't been totally realized yet. when the original star wars came out in the late 70's, shooting people with lasers seemed really cool, but scientifically impossible. but now we do it all the time, because science caught up with the movie.
unfortunately, we don't have real lightsabers yet, but that's probably a good thing because only a trained jedi can truely handle the great responsibility that goes along with the power contained within such a dangerous weapon. and since the jedi are all in hiding on earth right now, it would be regualar people who bought them on the street, since regular people have a lower midichlorian count and therefore would not be capable of creating a lightsaber, and they could accidentely set them off and cut off their leg or something if they're trying to imitate a real jedi but since jedi don't walk aboveground right now everyone would know they're just pretending so what's the point anyway?
I just looked up the BBC article on the United States' ban on genetic discrimination, so I think it is when someone discriminates against you because of your genetic identity. For example, employers couldn't use your genetic information to not hire you or fire you. What these genetic tests can show is that people might have a predispostion to a disease, like cancer, diabetes or heart disease, which is shown in their genes. Now, employers can't discriminate based on genes and health insurers can't ask for a genetic test. Like the article said, this bill is a huge step in protecting people's civil rights. Citizens should be allowed to take genetic tests to see if they have a predisposition to a disease so that they can start therapy without having to worry whether it can go against them. Eddie, it's pretty obvious that most insurance companies, if not all, just care about making money. A few years ago, one of my family members developed a disease and his insurance company tried as hard as it could to not pay him his health insurance benefits. They tried to claim that he was perfectly fine. I remember a movie with Matt Damon where he was a lawyer battling a health insurance company who wouldn't pay his client the health benefits. Although it was just a movie, its portrayal of insurance companies is completely true. I am very glad now that insurance companies can't get more ammunition to use against people. This bill is a big deal, and will continue to be for years to come.
I think that this is important because it would keep insurance companies from not being allowed to not have access for some people because they have a risk. I can remember a few years ago a basketball player was having problems in the market because he had a "genetic problem" so these things are all over the place
But having these things in your genes is sort of like being sick. If the companies know your sick, you'll pay a lot more for health insurance, so if your more likely to become sick, you should also pay more for health insurance.
I think its pretty sad that today's reality has come close to that science-fiction film Eddie mentioned.
I'm very glad that Congress ban genetic discrimination, there shouldn't be an agruement. The amount of power and money that the insurance companies would rack in would be just as bad as big business oil men.
(Sidenote: Genetic tests could show that a person might have a predispostion to type 2 diabetes, not type 1. They are completely different.)
It's a little comforting to know that the government is attempting to prevent future issues that may arise with new technology. I do think its very important that someone who may be predisposed to get a certain disease isn't discriminated against because of their possible liability. If this occured there would be many people who were perfectly healthy but were rejected for insurance or who weren't able to get jobs they were perfectly qualified for because of the mere chance they could get sick. There will be many new issues that arise with our modern advancements that we must address in the future, and this is a good sign.
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