What Makes Genetic Discrimination Exceptional?

Recent advances in understanding the genetic basis of disease has inspired hope but also fear. While establishing a link between a person's genetic makeup and a propensity to disease may lead to better treatment, many scientists, physicians and genetic counselors also worry that it may lead to discrimination. Although access to health insurance is the primary concern, people also fear discrimination in life and disability insurance, employment and other contexts, such as child custody decisions or adoption. In response to this concern, many state legislatures have passed laws forbidding genetic discrimination. While most of these laws focus on health insurance, some also prohibit genetic discrimination in employment or in life or disability insurance coverage. These laws have been the subject of both praise and criticism. Defenders of the laws see them as important and necessary, though arguably incomplete. Critics view them as unjustified and unwarranted. However, the question that dominates current literature is whether genetic discrimination is meaningfully different from discrimination on the basis of general health status; or as the debate is often framed, whether anti-discrimination laws ought to be genetic or generic .