Prohibiting Genetic Discrimination

Even before the sequencing of the human genome began in earnest, Americans started worrying about how information about their genetic makeup might be used in harmful ways, and policymakers began considering legislation to prevent misuses of genetic information. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, which would prohibit health insurers and employers from asking or requiring a person to take a genetic test and from using genetic information in setting insurance rates or making employment decisions, passed unanimously in the Senate in 2003 and again in 2005. The bill remained stalled in the House of Representatives, however, apparently because the House leadership . . .