The Wire

Concerns have been raised about people being discriminated against because of their genetic predisposition to certain illnesses. This concern follows the release of data suggesting many people may have been denied life insurance cover after receiving genetic tests. The research was conducted by a group of scientists across the country, as part of the Genetic Discrimination Project has received government funding. The researchers surveyed almost 1200 people who had sought genetic testing to see if they were more likely to contract a certain illness, due to family history. Almost 100 respondents claimed that they had then been discriminated on the basis of the results of that genetic testing, with some reporting that they had been denied life insurance or charged very high premiums. As a result of the study, The Democrats have renewed calls they made seven years ago for a national framework to be implemented to deal with the issue of genetic discrimination. One of the researchers behind the study, Dr Sandy Taylor, from the University of Queensland, explained earlier to the Wire how people can come to find themselves discriminated against.