Medical Genetics: Predictive Medicine
CONCERNS
Ethical Issues
Many worry that development in Predictive Medicine of genetic tests and applying mandatory testing will cause the depletion of private individual rights and genetic discrimination. Because of the amount of exposure to one's genetic information as a result of analyzing his or her genome, many believe that insurance companies will refuse healthcare coverage and decrease benefits if that individual acquires a trait for a certain disease. An example of this occured in 2000 at the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad Company where employees were required to submit blood samples that would identify whether the worker had a genetic defect making him or her susceptible to nerve injury. (6.2)
Legal Issues
An additional concern of Predictive Medicine is the legality of the life-altering decisions that come with its promises as a result of a genetic test. Although one may be a carrier of a disease, he or she may not necessarily be afflicted by the disease; therefore, a physician making early predictions of disorders and having the patient choose to act upon them or to be given a prescription holds many risks. Uncertainty in the strength of the disease must be improved upon and remains a hindering factor of Predictive Medicine. (6.2)
Social Issues
As a result of Predictive Medicine causing the growing publicized granting of an individual's medical information, it is a growing concern that patients will no longer be in control of their rights. This conflict is being shown today as protections for patient privacy are even being used against the patients, shown through hospitals calling upon the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to deny patients of their access to their medical files when the law states that they are guaranteed their rights. These technicalities have formed distate amongst society for advances of Predictive Medicine. (6.3)
