Genetic Research

It seems surreal that we have entered the 21st century, almost like an unbelievable prophecy. We have begun to open doorways that will lead us to unprecedented scientific discoveries, and these achievements will help build an American nation that will become healthier in mind, spirit and body. Today we find ourselves immersed in the moment of enormous possibility-a time when science and technology are making such advancements, we can barely keep up with them. Nowhere is this more true than in the field of Genetics. We are on the verge of discovering the causes and cures for some of our worst health problems. Almost every single month a new gene discovery is reported. Research advancement in natural and bio-medical sciences needs to continue, but the scientific community along with the new administration need to ensure that every American will have confidence that science is advancing in a way that is parallel with our moral values. The new government must be vigilant that science will not also bring new forms of discrimination and exclusion.

The Human Genome project is on the verge of being completed. This will give us

But in the cyclone of bio-revolution we must follow our old values and try to incorporate them with our enlightened science knowledge. As rapidly evolving new technologies make it easier to find disease-related genes in human DNA, tests to determine who carries those genes are becoming increasingly common. The new government should not allow our newest discoveries to serve as the newest excuse to unleash the exposure to discrimination. Discrimination has haunted us throughout human history; on the basis of race and ethnicity; religion and gender; and now, genetic predisposition to a disease. Modern genetics will offer some of the most certain arguments for the unity of humankind. Scientists tell us that the differences between people of one race and people of another are slight. We share almost 99.9% of the estimated three billion bits of genetic information. The new government should not allow unseen and until recently unknown differences in our genetic makeup to create a new form of discrimination; new excuses for job discrimination. New threats that will cause people to avoid preventative health care, and not take the ad