Persuasive Writing Assignment: Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues (ELSI) Examined by the Human Genome Project

The dilemma is if the health record contains substantial information about a person 's genetic information , is it not right to say that the person has the right to the ownership ? According to the American Nurses Association 's (ANA ) code , the owner of the information is the patient . However , the ownership of the medical record belongs to the agency where the data are collected and the patient 's only rightful claim is the control over the information in the health record (Milholland 19 . If the patient does not own his health record

how can we guarantee that privacy and confidentiality be maintained

The foregoing ethical issues have corresponding legal implications . As a case in point , Autogen , an Australian Biotech company announced an agreement to conduct genetic research for discovering disease-related genes in the isolated and homogenous Tongan population in November 2000 (Howe 7 . These efforts were done to form a national genetic database in Tonga (Austin , et al . 37 . Pharmaceutical makers claim that they conduct such researches to combat diseases (Oxley 10 . Given that it is the Tongan population who are considered as research subjects , a further question develops (which is an extension of the earlier argument on ownership Is there such a thing as collective ownership of genetic information ' Collective ownership , when applied to ancestral domains among indigenous peoples is less problematic . However , when applied to genetic information , the concept is , as I reckon , problematic and the issues , more complex

Social issues also surround the privacy and confidentiality of genetic information . For an average person , the issues which spring from the privacy and confidentiality of genetic information take on a more or less , practical side . These issues may involve problems associated with policies in health insurance , discrimination in the workplace due to the possible access of other individuals /institutions...