I’ve been travelling recently and decided, as a good internet addict, to explore other sources of information in the web.
Browsing in digg’s top news I came upon this interesting article published in Arstechnica.com by the John Timmer.
Thought provoking to say the least:
Insurance based on genetics: a questionable proposition
by John Timmer
Last week, the US Senate passed a bill that would bar employers and insurance providers from considering the results of a person’s genetic tests when making hiring or coverage decisions. The House has passed a similar bill and the Bush administration has indicated it would sign legislation of this sort. In the wake of the bill’s passage, however, a number of people have questioned why it shouldn’t be an employer’s or insurer’s right to make decisions based on genetics. As a matter of policy, these questions were answered a decade ago, and the intervening progress in human genetics has only reinforced some of the reasoning of the initial decision.
(…)
There are a whole host of reasons to be leery of decisions based on genetic factors, including the fact that some factors are more prevalent within some ethnic groups, raising the specter that genetics may serve as a rationale for some forms of racism. But the most powerful argument is that any genetic policies will be extremely difficult to do well and, even if done properly, could still get things wrong. Combine that with the potential for genetic-based decision making to inhibit the use of our new-found knowledge, and there is a potential for harm that could arise from policies such as the ones that may soon be outlawed.
To read the whole article please go here.
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“Combine that with the potential for genetic-based decision making to inhibit the use of our new-found knowledge, and there is a potential for harm that could arise from policies such as the ones that may soon be outlawed.”
I couldn’t quite get my head round this phrase - it seemed circular, but i’m not sure if it was meant to.
BUT anyway
have the governments under-gone such DNA testing, to determine whether they are ‘fit’, apt, or not, to make such decisions??
The key point in the full article, for me, was that even if the tests were accurate, then the general public will not get the benefit of the whole procedure/scientific advancement, ie, personalised health care, because, they would be excluded from health insurance.
TYPICAL
big guy with all the money
at it again.
Jesus said to the pharisees
I came to heal the sick, the healthy do not need a doctor.
or something like that.
Yet
with 2000 yrs of medical and scientific “progress”
the ’sick’ are not eligible for treatment, only the healthy qualify.
I know what is ’sick’ and it isn’t the person who feels unwell!!
The good news is
we always have faith
and Love
which can move mountains
build bridges
and heal the sick
including our enemies/oppressors.
Loving thoughts
Positive attitudes
Watsup Paulo? All these articles seem to be based in the negative….
Let’s all the Warriors now pray away
what we will not tolerate in this soon to be perfect world.
or something like that
LOVE y’all
xxxx
You don’t need a doctor. Take the tree of life and the tree of knowledge for example. You cannot live your life without knowing how to live it. Nature/ Nurture for example. We are built to survive.
I never read the article fully. But i know where you are going with it. I will continue after i have wallowed in my own juices for a while.
Oh yeah another thing i saw the stars for the first time in a long-long-long-long time. Even though there were clouds (smog), I could still see them. The big dipper was right above me. I admit they were dim, there are far too many other lights that distorted me focus. Oh man, they were so beautiful. It’s time to turn off the lights. Globally!
You want some advice on health, eat natural things, not chemically reproduced products. The foods in Britain and the USA are tampered with.
Wal-mart, Tesco…. your mine now. Bring it on.
Oh and as for the NHS… you are useless scumbags.
For me this genetic based insurance coverage and employment factor is a sneaky way to get away with excluding people from getting a proper service and care and of course it’ll take lots and lots of money that should go for treatment.
love
Agnieszka
Dearest Paulo and friends,
This article reminded me of an old movie, called Gattaca. Its absolutely brilliant, and if anyone has the opportunity to watch it, please do. Its based on the theory that, all babies were genetically modified to not have any kind of diseases, and birth defects and so forth, as all conceptions were done in a lab. Eventually, the ‘perfect’ ran the world, were placed in top positions, as they had no risk behind them- they were chosen to be in the best schools, and were employed by the best companies. The normal people, who were born naturally, were like the lower class human race, unable to basically go for anything they desired. Its an amazing story of how one boy, a normal boy, fights for his dream. Its very uplifting. And it truely does make you wonder where this world is heading to. I’d like to say, that although technology is advancing, especially with regard to genetics, we still have a very long way to go. I certainly do not believe we are in a position to start making any sort of risk policies based solely on our knowledge on genetics. Sometimes, just because you have a genetic disposition for a disease does not mean it will clinically manifest in you. In many instantances, diseases have skipped generations. Also one must take into account the severity of the disease. In different diseases, especially genetically, people can develop mild or controlable or even no symptoms- to severe disease, one can speculate using genetics, but in some cases i doubt you can 100% sure how a disease can manifest in an individual. In most cases, one has to take into account environmental factors, and with most diseases, we can’t even pin point all risk factors that are based on the environment. So many things these days are also multifactorial.. I don’t feel its right for us to go around making policies where we haven’t adequate information atleast. I believe, when it comes to medicine, we’ve have alot to yet discover. I’m glad for our advances, but we should no get ahead of ourselves just yet.
Thank you for being
Yajna
I am afraid that the decision would be like always against simple people , everybody knows that almost all the laws are for the poors, the rich people are able to avoid it.Why should a person with difficulties be punished further in that way? Not talking about the mysteries of life , we really never know what may happen.You may have all the chances on the world, if you do not use it propperly, it will be useless. The revers is also valid, one may have few chance and struggle a lot ,for in the end to pass over his destinty.Not mentioning that every day we can ackowledge about new dicoveries in all the fields,so the possibility for changes are great.
Judgement leads to vicious circles.
Maybe I’m being a bit extreme, but the whole question of “discriminating” (let’s call it by its name)based on genetics, reminds me of Hitler and his ideas regarding a “pure” race.
Is this what Darwin meant by survival of the fittest? In this case it’s not natural selection, but very “unnatural” and arbitrary selection.
PS: I changed my screen name, to avoid confusion. There seems to be a different Maria posting as well.
I think the “Gattaca” reference is spot on. And yeah its pretty good as a story and for the visuals.
Also, this makes me think of eugenics, nazi experiments and the like. It’s a very ugly underlying elite plan.
There would be so many things in which governments could put their money in, to make the world better. Genetic schemes are just childish, and could open to irreversible consequences. Moreover when they are turning towards selective issues.
These kind of projects spread out prodigious so-so, under the heel of helping the diseases wide. In real, a most of them are maybe the result about medicine using genetic mollecules, any scientists could say about the effects twenty years ago. let’s just think about antibiotics.
For years, governments show how it acts in a rush, setting ethic aside. And money is only given to scientists that go along that idea. Others, that usualy keeps humility face to the Big Undiscovered, are let down.
What about thoses presidents that are under the will to classify humans, by digital identification, chips under skin, genetic experiences..? How couldn’ we remind about facist behaviour, awaiting for pure race to put in place?
Will we always act as Pavlov’s Dog, and just bark to their dangerous plans? After so lot of time, what can we do, but only manifest?
:(
La Grenouille qui veut se faire aussi grosse que le Boeuf
Jean de la Fontaine (1621-1695)
(Recueil : Les Fables)
Une Grenouille vit un Boeuf
Qui lui sembla de belle taille.
Elle, qui n’était pas grosse en tout comme un oeuf,
Envieuse, s’étend, et s’enfle, et se travaille,
Pour égaler l’animal en grosseur,
Disant : “Regardez bien, ma soeur ;
Est-ce assez ? dites-moi ; n’y suis-je point encore ?
- Nenni. - M’y voici donc ? - Point du tout. - M’y voilà ?
- Vous n’en approchez point. “La chétive pécore
S’enfla si bien qu’elle creva.
Le monde est plein de gens qui ne sont pas plus sages :
Tout bourgeois veut bâtir comme les grands seigneurs,
Tout petit prince a des ambassadeurs,
Tout marquis veut avoir des pages.
Yajna,
I did see that movie. Crazy fearing. Indeed, that could remind us about.
Have a great day. <3