Privacy, autonomy and direct-to-consumer genetic testing: a response to Vayena
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Published:2022-01-06
Issue:10
Volume:48
Page:774-775
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ISSN:0306-6800
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Container-title:Journal of Medical Ethics
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language:en
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Short-container-title:J Med Ethics
Abstract
In Vayena’s article, ‘direct-to-consumer (DTC) genomics on the scales of autonomy’, she claims that there may be a strong autonomy-based argument for permitting DTC genomic services. In this response, I point out how the diminishment of one’s genetic privacy can cause a relevant autonomy-related harm which must be balanced against the autonomy-related gains DTC services provide. By drawing on conceptual connections between privacy and the Razian conception of autonomy, I show that DTC genetic testing may decrease the range of valuable options individuals possess, which impacts the extent to which would-be consumers can exercise their autonomy.
Subject
Health Policy,Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous),Issues, ethics and legal aspects,Health (social science)
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