Who Owns Your Genes?

Who owns your genes? The assumption of any sane person would be that he or she owns his or her own genes. I mean, how dumb a question is that?

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Yet, in 2007, Dr Dov Michaeli described how an American company had claimed ownership of genetic materials and believed that it had the right to commercialize those naturally occurring bits of DNA. Myriad Genetics began by patenting mutations of BRCA. Dr Michaeli issued a call for action to support early efforts to pass legislation to restore and preserve individual ownership of one's own genes. This is a historically important quick read/watch/listen. Give it a click.

In related legislation, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), originally introduced by New York Congresswoman Louise Slaughter in 1995, was ultimately spearheaded by California Congressman Xavier Becerra (now Secretary of Health and Human Services) to passage by the House of Representatives on April 25, 2007, by a vote of 420-9-3. Led by Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, it was passed by the Senate on April 24, 2008, by a vote of 95-0. President George W. Bush signed the bill into law on May 21, 2008.

GINA is a landmark piece of legislation that protects Americans.