Genetic Information Nondescrimination Act passes!!

Darkfrog submitted, created time 8 months 1 week (www.nature.com)

The Genetic Information Nondescrimination Act has passed in the U.S. government. Now employers and insurance companies are forbidden on the federal level to use the results of genetic testing to hire, fire or give or deny insurance. Basically, this means that the movie Gataca won't happen in real life.

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Genetic Information Nondescrimination Act poised to pass

Darkfrog submitted, created time 8 months 2 weeks (www.nytimes.com)

The U.S. Congress is preparing a bill that would forbid employers and insurance companies from denying or terminating employment or coverage based on the results of genetic tests. Federal law already prohibits group policies, such as those attained through one's employer or other organization, from discriminating using genetic information, but this bill would apply accross the board.

This bill is likely to pass, and I think it will remove one of the main fears associated with genetic testing (finally finding out that one has a 40% chance of lung cancer is still there, though).

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