Genetic discrimination and the need for federal legislation

The advent of the Human Genome Project signaled a new era in preventative care. However, this Project threatens to create a new form of employment discrimination, which legislation has yet to sufficiently address. Courts are attempting to utilize a variety of currently enacted laws to combat such discrimination but it is clear that this may be an inadequate deterrence. To combat this problem, a new set of laws and regulations will need to be enacted to ensure that the interests of employers are upheld while maintaining proper protection of employees from genetic discrimination. This paper focuses on genetic testing in the workplace and the need for Federal legislation.