Andrews L B
Center for Clinical Medical Ethics, University of Chicago, Illinois.
Yale J Biol Med. 1991 Jan-Feb;64(1):29-40.
The federally funded Human Genome Initiative will lead to the development of new capabilities to learn about an individual's genetic status. Legal issues are raised concerning patients' and other parties' access to that information. This article discusses the effect of existing statutes and case law on three pivotal questions: To what sort of information are people entitled? What control should people have over their genetic information? Do people have a right to refuse genetic information? The article emphasizes that the law protects a patient's right to obtain or refuse genetic information about oneself, as well as the right to control the dissemination of that information to others.
由联邦政府资助的人类基因组计划将带来了解个体基因状况的新能力。由此引发了关于患者及其他各方获取该信息的法律问题。本文讨论了现行法规和判例法对三个关键问题的影响:人们有权获取何种信息?人们对自己的基因信息应拥有何种控制权?人们是否有权拒绝基因信息?本文强调,法律保护患者获取或拒绝关于自身基因信息的权利,以及控制该信息向他人传播的权利。