Genetic Fingerprinting: Moral Issues
DNA testing is one of the best ways to solve questions of human identity. Also known as genetic fingerprinting, the tests examine a person's DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). DNA is made up of four nucleotides (adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine). These combine in base pairs to form our DNA strands.
More than 99 per cent of our DNA is identical to that of other people. However, some 0.1 per cent is unique, and that’s what is used for testing. Detailed tests rely on 13 DNA regions or loci, with more matches indicating greater accuracy. The pros and cons of genetic fingerprinting are always being discussed. Here are some of the ways in which DNA testing is used, and possible ethical dilemmas that may arise with each.
Genetic Fingerprinting and the Law
DNA testing is widely used in law enforcement, both within the U.S. and around the world. The FBI maintains a database of millions of DNA samples, known as CODIS, and other law enforcement agencies have similar databases. There are several genetic fingerprinting ethical dilemmas that arise with the use of these techniques in crime fighting. While most people can see the need for the law which requires all convicted sex offenders' DNA to be stored, other issues are not as clear cut, as lawyers for DNA testing will state.
One area of concern is the matter of mandatory DNA testing for individuals arrested for a crime. If they are not subsequently convicted, is it fair for this sensitive personal material to still be kept on file? Similarly, those who are wrongly convicted of a crime may have their DNA on file long after a conviction has been overturned.
While DNA can be used to prove guilt, it can also be used to clear someone’s name. Many believe that those on death row should have automatic DNA testing to ensure that their conviction is sound.
Paternity Testing
Another use of DNA testing is to prove or disprove paternity. DNA infidelity testing has become quite a common occurrence. You may have even seen couples appearing on talk shows to receive the results of a paternity test.
DNA tests can also be used to prove whether particular individuals are likely to be related.
Victim Identification
DNA testing has been used extensively to identify victims of catastrophes. While it may be difficult to identify disaster victims based on facial recognition, DNA testing requires only small samples of hair, teeth, skin, blood, fingernails, saliva or other tissues or bodily fluids.
Screening for Hereditary Diseases
Genetic fingerprinting can also be used to screen for inherited medical disorders. For example, it is possible to screen for a particular type of breast cancer, as well as other life threatening disorders. While DNA testing is not the only test available for many disorders, it is known to be effective.
Ethical Concerns
While genetic fingerprinting has many useful applications, there are also several moral and legal issues to consider. One of the key issues is that of privacy. This relates not just to the test itself, but to what happens to the results afterwards.
In the future, your DNA profile could be used to determine your eligibility for insurance or other benefits, and there might be details that you would prefer to keep to yourself. Another issue is children’s privacy. If a child is screened for a disease and the DNA is stored, what happens when the child becomes an adult?
Issues may also arise around DNA testing and discrimination. For example, if a particular minority may be commonly found in the population of convicted criminals, would police be more likely to discriminate against others of this ethnic group?
Finally, there is the issue of consent and whether or not it should be an individual’s choice to undergo genetic fingerprinting.
As DNA testing becomes more commonly used, new ethical concerns and issues will undoubtedly arise. With all its potential uses and misuses, genetic fingerprinting remains a powerful tool that must be wielded with care.
Resources
Human Genome Program (2008). DNA Forensics. Retrieved August 27, 2008, from the Human Genome Project Information Web site: http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/
Human_Genome/elsi/forensics.shtml#6.
HowStuffWorks (2001). How DNA Evidence Works. Retrieved August 27, 2008, from the HowStuffWorks Web site: http://science.howstuffworks.com/dna-evidence.htm/
printable.
University Hospital (n.d.). Ethics of Genetic Testing. Retrieved August 27, 2008, from the University Hospital Web site: http://www.theuniversityhospital.com/adultgenetics/ethics
.htm.
Warburton, Elaine (2008). Genetic Ethics: Testing and Storing Our Kids’ DNA. Retrieved August 27, 2008, from the Genetics and Health Web site: http://www.geneticsandhealth.
com/2008/05/07/genetic-ethics-testing-and-storing-our-kids-dna/.
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