ASHG News

Protecting Genetic Privacy of Immigrant Families

Protecting Genetic Privacy of Immigrant Families

In 2018, a legislative amendment was proposed that would protect the genetic privacy of immigrant families by restricting the use of their genetic material and data to helping reunify family members. The amendment would require that government officials restrict their use of DNA analysis to when it is truly needed and ensure that biological samples... Read More

GINA’s 10th Anniversary and the Future of Genetic Privacy

Written by Nascent Transcript writer Allison McCague August 2018 May 21 of this year marked the tenth anniversary of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), a landmark piece of legislation that Senator Ted Kennedy—one of the sponsors of the bill—called “the first civil rights bill of the new century of the life sciences.” GINA’s passage was the... Read More

Advancing Evidence-Based Genetic Testing

Advancing Evidence-Based Genetic Testing

In 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) invited comments on its intention to exempt a list of class II devices from premarket notification requirements, including tests assessing genetic health risks. ASHG responded to this request for comment by outlining its support for regulation that brings scientifically valid, evidence-based tests to market, and expressing... Read More