BMJ 2008;336:1038 (10 May), doi:10.1136/bmj.39569.467998.DB
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US Senate outlaws genetic discrimination
Janice Hopkins Tanne
1 New York
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
The US Senate has unanimously passed a bill banning discrimination against people on the grounds of their genetic make-up. The House of Representatives is expected to pass the bill, which is called the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) quickly, and President George W Bush has indicated he will sign it into law.
Genetic tests might alert people to inherited health problems and allow them to take preventive action, but there has been widespread fear that test results could lead to discrimination in employment and insurance coverage.
The bill forbids health insurance companies to use genetic information, including family histories, to deny insurance coverage, or to set higher rates for healthy people with a genetic predisposition to a disease. However, insurers can continue to make decisions about coverage and rates for people who already have the disease.
The bill also forbids employers, unions, and employment agencies to use genetic information in
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