European Group on Ethics calls for assessment of advertisements for genetic testing
The European Group on Ethics in Science (EGE) and New Technologies have called for a careful assessment of advertising genetic tests via the Internet. In a statement on 24 February, the EGE said that policy makers and society at large should examine more closely the ethical, social and legal issues surrounding the increasing use of the Internet to market, in particular, genetic tests that establish paternity or detect heart disease and diabetes. 'Advertising of genetic tests tends to convert them into commodities and to give rise to a demand for genetic testing, which may result in the disruption of social and personal conflicts,' claims the EGE. The statement also highlights the aggressive nature of such marketing and the unlikely locations where it can be found: high street shops, petrol stations, and motorway restaurants. According to the EGE, marketing genetic tests in such a way can lead to inaccurate and insufficient information about genetics. There are also growing concerns that when such tests are carried out, rules relating to the participant's consent are not being followed during the collection of genetic data, particularly for paternity related tests. Another fear is that databases containing genetic test results could be misused in order to endorse a deterministic relationship between genes and diseases or reinforce associations between ethnic groups and diseases, thus violating equality and confidentiality rights, suggests the EGE. Finally, appropriate advice and counselling must be provided before and after genetic tests are carried out to ensure all ethical, social and legal aspects are respected, according to the EGE statement. The European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies announced their intention to address the issues raised, in particular with the drafting of an opinion on the ethical aspects of genetic testing in the work place.