Whether such fears are founded or not, my concern (and that of my colleagues) is that the perception of discrimination might keep people who could medically benefit from genetic testing away from testing.

DNA Direct offers direct-to-consumer, medical genetic testing. We provide anonymous testing, and results don’t go on your medical record unless you disclose them to your doctor. But we do encourage people to talk with their doctors, and we provide each tester with physician letters and clinical references to take to their doc. Our ultimate goal is to help people seek and receive the most appropriate medical care.

Our founder and CEO, Ryan Phelan recently talked about the question/concern of genetic discrimination with Dr. Moira Gunn on TechNation (NPR). The topic is about halfway through the interview, which you can play at: http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail1039.html

Suppose we discover someday that certain genes are associated with an increased likelihood to commit crimes such as rape, assault, murder, drug trafficking, prostitution, or any number of others. I doubt we would start locking those people up preemptively, but genetic evidence might be used to persuade a judge or jury to impose a harsher sentance.