As we near the future one topic seems to appear frequently. Is your genome sequence your own private information? After the Human Genome Project was finished many scientist have pondered if your genome should be public. I believe that your genome information is private, but should be used in case of an emergency.
Many good things could come out of your genome sequence being public. For instance, in the event in which law enforcement needs to investigate criminal acts to prove someone innocent or guilty. For example Maryland vs King which states that when a police officer arrest someone because they have a suspect of a serious offence , they make need a cheek swab to rove that the suspect is innocent or guilty because of DNA left at the crime scene. Another positive outcome is that your doctors will be able to detect genetic diseases or cancer and treat it before it becomes a problem or takes effect. Although there are many positive outcomes there is a law that does protect you genome. The Genetic Information and Nondiscrimination Act or GINA protects the genetic privacy of the public. GINA makes it illegal for health insurers or employers from requesting or gaining access to your genetic information or even a family member. To sum GINA up it is illegal for anyone to obtain access to your own private information. No one can use your information or a family member’s
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This act gives citizens the right to gain access federal documents upon request.Although your genome information is a federal document it is not in a category that can be viewed so that your sequence is protected. The Genomic Data Sharing Policy protects research people’s privacy, but gives access to the scientific community to contribute to important scientific research. Although it's available the researcher must submit a form to request your information, but even then the form must be