This class will explore various legal/policy issues that arise in the context of the new genetic technologies. The initial sessions will introduce the basic biology of human genetics and the objectives of the Human Genome Project. We will review the history of genetic research in the United States, with particular attention to the incorporation of "hereditarian" and "eugenic" concepts into the law, as well as the state and federal cases in which those concepts were challenged. The bulk of the semester will survey six topical areas: genetic privacy, including questions of population screening and genetic anti-discrimination law related to Employment and Insurance; the use of DNA as a unique identifier, particularly in the forensic context; reproductive issues, including parental rights of "surrogates" or genetic donors; the implications of novel genetic technologies in medical treatment and/or research, such as the harvest of Embryonic Stem Cells or nuclear transplantation (cloning); alteration and ownership of biologic forms, where genetic engineering raises intellectual property issues; and genetics and race.
Credits: 3