Department of Sociology, Institute for Social Sciences, University of Minho, Portugal; Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra, Portugal.
Forensic Sci Int Genet. 2014 Jan;8(1):132-6. doi: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2013.08.014. Epub 2013 Sep 7.
The creation and expansion of forensic DNA databases might involve potential threats to the protection of a range of human rights. At the same time, such databases have social benefits. Based on data collected through an online questionnaire applied to 628 individuals in Portugal, this paper aims to analyze the citizens' willingness to donate voluntarily a sample for profiling and inclusion in the National Forensic DNA Database and the views underpinning such a decision. Nearly one-quarter of the respondents would indicate 'no', and this negative response increased significantly with age and education. The overriding willingness to accept the inclusion of the individual genetic profile indicates an acknowledgement of the investigative potential of forensic DNA technologies and a relegation of civil liberties and human rights to the background, owing to the perceived benefits of protecting both society and the individual from crime. This rationale is mostly expressed by the idea that all citizens should contribute to the expansion of the National Forensic DNA Database for reasons that range from the more abstract assumption that donating a sample for profiling would be helpful in fighting crime to the more concrete suggestion that everyone (criminals and non-criminals) should be in the database. The concerns with the risks of accepting the donation of a sample for genetic profiling and inclusion in the National Forensic DNA Database are mostly related to lack of control and insufficient or unclear regulations concerning safeguarding individuals' data and supervising the access and uses of genetic data. By providing an empirically-grounded understanding of the attitudes regarding willingness to donate voluntary a sample for profiling and inclusion in a National Forensic DNA Database, this study also considers the citizens' perceived benefits and risks of operating forensic DNA databases. These collective views might be useful for the formation of international common ethical standards for the development and governance of DNA databases in a framework in which the citizens' perspectives are taken into consideration.
建立和扩充法证 DNA 数据库可能会对一系列人权的保护造成潜在威胁。与此同时，此类数据库也具有社会效益。本研究基于对葡萄牙 628 名个体进行的在线问卷调查所收集的数据，旨在分析公民自愿提供样本进行个人识别并纳入国家法证 DNA 数据库的意愿，以及支持这种决定的观点。近四分之一的受访者表示“否”，且这种否定的回应随着年龄和教育程度的增加而显著增加。绝大多数人表示愿意接受将个人遗传特征纳入数据库，这表明人们承认法证 DNA 技术的调查潜力，并将公民自由和人权置于次要地位，因为人们认为保护社会和个人免受犯罪侵害的好处大于这些。这种推理主要是基于这样一种观点，即所有公民都应为扩大国家法证 DNA 数据库做出贡献，其原因从更为抽象的假设（即认为捐赠样本进行个人识别有助于打击犯罪）到更为具体的建议（即每个人（罪犯和非罪犯）都应纳入数据库）不等。对于接受捐赠样本进行基因特征分析并纳入国家法证 DNA 数据库的风险，人们主要关注的是缺乏控制以及关于保护个人数据和监督基因数据的访问和使用的规定不够充分或不够明确。本研究通过实证理解对自愿提供样本进行个人识别并纳入国家法证 DNA 数据库的意愿的态度，还考虑了公民对法证 DNA 数据库运作的潜在收益和风险的看法。这些集体观点可能有助于在考虑公民观点的框架内，为制定和管理 DNA 数据库的国际共同伦理标准提供参考。
