ABSTRACT
Advances in understanding the genetic basis of disease has inspired hope but also fear. While establishing a link between a person's genetic makeup and a propensity to disease may lead to better treatment, many scientists, physicians and genetic counselors also worry that it may lead to discrimination. This chapter addresses the question of whether special genetics legislation is warranted. It briefly summarizes the familiar arguments for forbidding genetic discrimination as well as the familiar replies. The chapter examines the claim that laws forbidding genetic discrimination are warranted to ensure that fears of genetic discrimination do not thwart the promise of genetic science. It focuses on the claim that genetic discrimination is different because it expresses a morally problematic meaning—an argument that underlies critiques found in the literature, but which has not yet been clearly articulated or evaluated. In examining the argument that protection from genetic discrimination will enhance health, the chapter uncovered several empirical questions that require further study.
