ABSTRACT
This chapter assesses the range of interests that are at stake when genetic information is generated, and in particular the interests of family members in shared familial genetic information are examined. The nature of the interests in issue must be examined to determine precisely which factors, values, perceived benefits, and harms should be weighed in the balance when deciding how genetic information should be handled. A unique view of privacy is offered as a means of recognizing and protecting the full gamut of personal and familial interests surrounding genetic information. The benefits of this concept are manifold, and its particular value for legislative purposes in designing ethically appropriate genetic privacy laws is examined in the shadow of legislative proposals to protect genetic privacy to date. The Genetic Privacy Act (GPA) was produced for the Human Genome Project's Ethical, Legal and Social Issues division by George Annas, Leonard Glantz, and Patricia Roche of Boston University's School of Public Health.
