Law Commons^™

The Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act: Protecting Privacy And Ensuring Fairness In Health Insurance And Employment Practices, Melissa Beyer

Louis Jackson National Student Writing Competition

Almost two centuries ago, Thomas Jefferson, one of this country’s foremost scientists and original thinkers, wrote, ‘[L]aws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As . . . new discoveries are made [and] new truths disclosed...institutions must advance also, and keep pace with the time.’ In this age of genetic breakthroughs, it is essential that our laws catch up with science. We can’t afford to take one step forward in science but two steps backward in civil rights. Our laws must specify, clearly and unambiguously, how genetic information may be used and how …