From Ian Gibson, MP, Chair of the Board of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology
House of Commons London SW1A 0AA
Just before Christmas the Human Genetics Advisory Commission recommended a
two-year moratorium on the insurance industry’s use of genetic tests
(This Week, 3 January, p 10).
Before the ink was dry, the Association of British Insurers
(ABI) rode roughshod over this recommendation. Their new Code of Practice allows
members to ask individuals if they have taken certain genetic tests and for the
results.
My advisory group of scientists, which includes experts working at the
cutting edge of genetic engineering at the Norwich Research Park, and I are
unanimous in our opposition to the use of genetic tests by the insurance
industry. We fear that this will lead to discrimination, and that it will deter
people from taking tests which could have resulted in better prophylactic
measures and earlier and better treatments. Future research efforts, which may
one day save lives, may also be jeopardised.
The ABI’s code now permits insurance companies to use the results of some
single-gene tests. Only a few companies have failed to fall into step with the
ABI, and have pledged not to ask applicants for the results of any genetic
tests.
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There should be legislation to prevent all insurance companies from
compelling an applicant to take a genetic test and from using the results of
these tests. This is already the practice in some European countries and in some
states in the US. The use of genetic tests is an unnecessary intrusion on
personal privacy because enough information to assess risk can be gleaned from
an individual’s family history— a practice that we have lived with for
many years.
Breakthroughs in modern science, which can deliver many benefits to society
and the health of individuals, should be used appropriately. Without the right
to privacy, confidence in the new science will be undermined. That is why I
would like anyone to write to me if they consider that they have suffered unfair
or unacceptable discrimination by the insurance industry as a result of taking a
genetic test. I would also like to hear from anyone who considers that they have
suffered similar discrimination at the hands of their employers.
