DNA Fingerprinting: The Truth

A detailed Summary of DNA Fingerprinting: The Truth

Mr. Doe is 52 years old. He has lived in the countryside of Minnesota his entire life. He has no serious diseases, and is living a normal life. One day, he receives a letter from his life insurance provider making him aware that his annual life insurance premium has increased 12 percent. Mr. Doe proceeds to call his insurance provider, and asks why the sudden and abrupt increase in his premium. The life insurance provider tells him that he will probably develop Alzheimer's by the age of 57. Mr. Doe is awkwardly confused. He has no idea how the life insurance provider knows he will probably get Alzheimer's later in his life. The life insurance provider tells Mr. Doe that according to his genetic sequence, he is likely to suffer from Alzheimer's. Although this scenario may seem a bit far-fetched, with today's technological advances, scientists are able to outline the genetic makeup of humans, allowing them to predict what diseases one may be prone to. Now, you might be thinking "This is great, now I will be able to protect myself from diseases, right?" Maybe so, but will you be able to protect your assets and personal information from major conglomerate corporations trying to make a profit from your f

oreseen agony? Along with this situation, many other issues arise concerning the knowledge of your personal genetic information.

The most important reason that DNA fingerprinting should be on an optional basis is the right of privacy. Using the process of DNA fingerprinting, all that is needed to discover an individual is a small strand of hair. This means, anyone who has access to your hair, such as a janitor in a barber shop could potentially hack his way into your personal life. The janitor could then wreak havoc on your personal information: delete bank records, exploit your social security number, and even add police reports to your record. If this were to happen, your "identity" may no longer be of your control, but of another's.

In Mr. Doe's case, DNA fingerprinting revealed that he would likely suffer from Alzheimer's, giving his life insurance provider a "good reason" to increase his annual premium. If everyone was subjected to DNA fingerprinting, insurance companies would be able to take advantage of your genes, something over which you have no control. For example, if your grandfather and father both had polio, and you don't, the insurance companies might still conclude that you would contract polio in the future. By assuming this, insurance companies could charge you a higher premium than someone who is not predisposed to polio. Is it fair that your right of applying for life insurance may be affected by something you c

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Approximate Word count = 975
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Science