Ethical Questions and issues concerning the Human Genome Project;

• Who should have access to personal genetic information, and how will it be used?

• Who owns and controls genetic information?

• How reliable and useful is fetal genetic testing?

• Should we engineer our young?

• Where is the line between medical treatment and enhancement?

• Will patenting DNA sequences limit their accessibility and development into useful products?

• Do people's genes make them behave in a particular way?

• Can people always control their behavior?

• Who owns genes and other pieces of DNA?

Controversy

       These questions and the issues that surround them are at the heart of the controversy about the Human Genome Project. The majority of the controversy, however, surrounds the first issue of who should have assess to genetic information and how it can be used. The creation of a global accessible DNA database combined with the technology of mapping an individuals genetic pattern has many people concerned. Could insurance companies and employers use this database to discriminate against a person based on their genetics. In the case of an insurance company, people are concerned that the company may turn down a person for medical coverage if they have a genetic predisposition to a certain disease. The same concerns exist in the case of a company hiring strategy. The company may not  hire a person with a predisposition to a disease that could be a problem a few years later and instead hiring someone who does not have such a predisposition. This "genetic civil rights" issue is such a concern that it forced the U.S. Congress to pass the bill. H.R. 1910.

Making Ethical Decisions on such issues

       Anyone who is faced with making an ethical decision in this field of biotechnology or any other must do a few things first. They must educate themselves of the field and of the decision they are faced with. Then they must examine all the possible routs and out comes of the decision. Finally, the person should weigh all this information before taking a particular action.