Summary Of Yann Joly's Argument Against Legislation

Part A: Summary The author, Yann Joly, supports their argument against legislation to protect genetic rights with three main points. The first point that the article mentions is that genetic discrimination cannot be “accurately described as a widespread practice within the life-insurance industry.” The author supports this with the fact that the practice of genetic discrimination has been found only in the context of Huntington’s disease, this being discovered after more than twenty years of trying to document genetic discrimination. The author also argues that “separating genetic information from other types of health information in law could promote the erroneous belief that most genes are the sole causes of disease.” In the opinion of the author, this could promote the
A person does not choose their genetics, and they should not be discriminated against by life insurance agencies and employers because of something they have no control over. Genetic testing can help identify the risks that some Canadians face and allows the carrier to take preventative measures against the disease. Canadian citizens should not have to choose between preventing life threatening diseases and keeping their insurance coverage or their jobs. The Canadian healthcare system is based on the idea that Canadians should not have to choose between maintaining their financial welfare and their health. Genetic discrimination goes against that idea and a bill protecting against it will enforce the principles of compassion and equality that we as Canadians are proud to have present in our healthcare