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The Right Not to Know and the Duty to Tell: The Case of Relatives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2021

Niklas Juth
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Extract

This text is about obtaining and sharing genetic information when there is a potential conflict of interests between patients and their families and relatives. The patient or, in this text, the “index-person,” is someone who is considering obtaining or already has obtained genetic information about herself through genetic testing.

The index-person can have several reasons to take an interest in obtaining her genetic information. She may want to know if she has a genetic predisposition for a disorder in order to take measures for preventing its development. Even if there are no preventive measures, as is the case with Huntington's disease, for instance, she may still want to know whether she has the mutation, in order to adjust her future plans. These interests that an individual may have in obtaining genetic information have been used to argue in favour of a right to know.

Type
Symposium
Information
Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics , Volume 42 , Issue 1 , Spring 2014 , pp. 38 - 52
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics 2014

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References

With proper background knowledge, there are other ways to obtain genetic information about oneself than through genetic testing, e.g., through family history, but in this text we will confine to genetic information obtained through DNA-analysis.Google Scholar
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