Ethical Concerns of Genetic Research and Public Health (Research Paper Sample)

Ethical Concerns of Genetic Research and Public Health Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Professor’s Name Course Due Date Ethical Concerns of Genetic Research and Public Health It is widely recognized that genetics offers enormous opportunities to improve public health. However, the question related to genetic research is one of the most controversial issues worldwide due to emerging ethical problems. Their first important consideration is the issue of informed consent. Those who agree to participate in genetics research must be completely aware of all the consequences of such decisions and how their genetic data will be employed and disseminated (Mwaka et ai 2021). Of concern was that many participants needed more understanding that our genetic research involves significant data sharing, hence intruding on their autonomy. The following ethical concern is the concern for genetic discrimination. Employers and insurance companies have been seen to misuse it by discriminating against the workers or refusing to cover some treatments because the person has genes related to some diseases. Laws such as the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) are meant to protect people from such discrimination. However, there are still loopholes, including life and long-term insurance (Lenartz et al.,.2021). Furthermore, there are issues with fairness or equality in sharing benefits from genetic research. Many a time, these minorities undergo limited research involving genetics. Hence, little information is collected that applies to these populations' health priorities (Allford,etai, 2014). This may sustain earlier healthcare inequalities by excluding samples from ethnic minorities, highlighting the need for diverse research approaches to help diverse ethnicities benefit from genetics. Therefore, even if genetic studies are likely to enhance the general well-being of the population, issues related to consent, prejudice, and sand justice can be disregarded. It is essential for the policymaker and the researcher to endeavor to create a sound ethical framework that will protect and uphold people's rights and build equity in the genetic science processes. ...