Bernard Taylor and Colin Kelly participated in this conference sponsored by DRI.
Bernard moderated the session, "The 'Miranda Warning' of Genetic Mapping - This Information Can Be Used Against You." Legal and ethical dilemmas surrounding genetic testing and screening were foreseen over three decades ago by bioethicists who were concerned about whether questionable applications of such information might stop the legitimate pursuit of genetic research. Now that the mapping of the human genome has been completed, and with the increasing availability of direct-toconsumer genetic testing for diseases, traits, and DNA ancestry, the wealth of information that is available regarding each of us is broad and far-reaching. The use of genetic testing to determine individual susceptibilities to exposure to products or toxic substances, to verify whether an individual has been injured by such exposure, or to determine whether an individual has a genetic risk of developing certain diseases, raises significant privacy, health and safety, insurability, discrimination, reliability and admissibility issues. The panel offered their insights on the potential application of the genetic revolution and explored the myriad of legal implications and issues that promise to follow.
Colin Kelly participated in the Corporate Counsel Roundtable.
October 26-30, 2011
Marriott Wardman Park / Washington, DC