Human Genome Project: Ethical, Cultural And Social Implications

5. Ethical, cultural and social implications

The Human Genome Project is rich with promise, but also fraught with social, cultural and ethical implications. We expect to learn the underlying causes of thousands of genetic diseases, including sickle cell anemia, Huntington disease, myotonic dystrophy, cystic fibrosis, and many forms of cancer—and thus to predict the likelihood of their occurrence in any individual. The dangers of misuse and the potential threats to personal privacy are not to be taken lightly. Perhaps the most critical of social issues are the questions of privacy and fair use of genetic information.

Most observers agree that personal knowledge of genetic susceptibility can be expected to serve us well, opening the door to

Policy issues were discussed related to disclosure of personal genome sequence information to the public, and the storage and use of genome information for different purposes. In May 2008, the US President Bush signed a Bill called the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), which states that insurance companies and employers should not use genetic tests to discriminate between people. Because of this law, the people of the United States of America can undergo genetic tests freely to discover if they have genetic diseases. One of the benefits of the human genome sequencing project is that the information can be used to identify the genes causing genetic diseases in humans. If someone were to find out they have a good chance of developing a rare disease it would most likely drastically change their thinking on life. This would cause stress in a large number of people's lives. With the spectacular advancements made in genetic manipulation techniques, it is now possible to manipulate the genome of a person to rectify the mutated gene through somatic gene therapy, which is ethically acceptable. Also, genetic interventions can be made to enhance a particular trait which may be socially good or bad [8]. However, care must be taken to prevent discrimination among people based on gender, wealth and

If they are at risk, they may be advised not to have a child by normal means. Recently, researchers in England announced another option for mothers at risk for transmitting certain genetic diseases known as X-linked. X-linked diseases are carried by the mother but are usually expressed in males, and hemophilia is the most widely known example. Using in vitro techniques, researchers fertilized eggs from the mothers at risk. After fertilization, the embryos were identified by sex and only female embryos were implanted