Recommendations on Addressing Gene Discrimination
Gene discrimination occurs if a person is treated unjustly in society or at work based on one’s vulnerability to cancer. With the identification of cancer vulnerability, any person who goes through cancer genetic screening can potentially face discrimination. Indeed, the results of testing for mutations of BRCA1and BRCA2 have a high risk of being passed on between insurers since specialists change over a specified period. Indemnity firms could use the data to screen for people who are vulnerable to disease to make them pay higher rates for insurance premiums. Companies can also use the findings of these genetic assessments to hire or fire someone.
Genetic discrimination is a vital issue for the future of precision medicine. There are concerns that vulnerable people could be excluded from socioeconomical programs, activities, and services. On that note, everybody should be safeguarded from potential genetic discrimination since anybody can go through genetic screening, and the number of people getting tests is steadily increasing. An essential feature of these genetic assessments determining the vulnerability to cancer is that the tests can only indicate the increased risk of getting cancer; however, there is no certainty because of the multifaceted mix of environmental factors and genetic material that lead to cancer. Moreover, the environmental variables and lifestyle that contributes to the disease can be adjusted to mitigate cancer.
It is anticipated that genetic screening will become a normal part of health services in the future to help clinicians to develop treatment options and prevention strategies. Nevertheless, the genetic information of people in the state has to be safeguarded to avoid discrimination against susceptible individuals. The state should act to pass laws that ensure clinicians are not able to share a person’s genetic information unless it is for treatment purposes.
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) was put in place to ensure that people can go through genetic testing without being worried about discrimination and can participate in research studies freely without having their genetic information passed to employers and insurers. Further, the law forbids charging higher premiums or denying health coverage to a healthy person just because one is susceptible to disease. Moreover, it prohibits employers from referring to genetic information when deciding who to hire, fire, or promote. By disallowing health professionals from sharing genetic information, the state will be able to uphold the provisions of this law. It is essential that the residents of the state have the freedom to take genetic tests without fearing the potential adverse outcomes that might be out of their control.
By banning clinicians from sharing genetic information, the state will go a long way in protecting individuals and the wider community. The sharing of genetic information only acts to threaten the livelihoods of people and has the potential to reduce their quality of life. People in the state mainly go through genetic testing to find out if they are susceptible to disease. They do so in the hope that these tests will enable them to increase their quality of life while improving their lifestyles. Therefore, safeguarding this information ensures they can pursue this mission effectively. Therefore, this recommendation is tailored to improve the health outcomes of the state’s residents as it will pave way for the classification of genetic data as private health information. It gives the assurance and confidence that no one will be targeted for discrimination due to their genetic information.