"As it is right now, people who are at risk for Huntington's disease or at risk for breast cancer cannot get insurance," observes Nancy S. Wexler, a professor of clinical neuropsychology at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons. "And that's perfectly legal in our culture. [Insurance companies] are companies that make money, and you don't make money on people who are sick.
"So, both scientists and ethicists are realizing that some of the fixes are going to have to be legal. Some of the protections may have to be [put in place by] changing the laws."
Earlier ethical debates, such as those surrounding appropriate use of human subjects in experimentation, have resulted in far-reaching new laws, such as the 1974 National Research Act, which created institutional review boards (IRBs).
"I don't think anybody would have [willingly] invented and imposed on themselves institutional review boards," comments Arthur Caplan, director of ...
