Bioethical Biobanks: Three Concerns in Designing and Using Law Enforcement DNA Identification Databases

Kaye, D.H.

ASU Center for Study of Law, Science and Technology

关键词: Dna;    Genetics;    Enforcement;    Ethical Aspects;    Retention Forensic Dna;   

DOI  :  10.2172/893638
RP-ID  :  893638
RP-ID  :  FG02-04ER63712
RP-ID  :  893638

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

Federal and state law enforcement authorities have amassed large collections of DNA samples and the identifying profiles derived from them. These databases help to identify the guilty and to exonerate the innocent, but as the databanks grow, so do fears about civil liberties. The research reported here discusses three legal and social policy issues that have been raised in regard to these biobanks—the choice of loci to type for identifying individuals, the indefinite retention of DNA samples, and the use of the DNA samples or the identifying profiles for research purposes. It also considers the possible value of the databases for research into the genetics of human behavior and the ethics of using them for this purpose. It rejects the broad claim that such research is inherently unethical but proposes procedures for ensuring that the value of the proposed research justifies any psychosocial or other risks to the subjects of the research.