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DNA Got a Kid Kicked Out of School—And It'll Happen Again

posted by martyb on Wednesday February 03 2016, @08:24PM   Printer-friendly
from the GATTACA dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

A few weeks into sixth grade, Colman Chadam had to leave school because of his DNA.

The situation, odd as it may sound, played out like this. Colman has genetic markers for cystic fibrosis, and kids with the inherited lung disease can't be near each other because they're vulnerable to contagious infections. Two siblings with cystic fibrosis also attended Colman's middle school in Palo Alto, California in 2012. So Colman was out, even though he didn't actually have the disease, according to a lawsuit that his parents filed against the school district. The allegation? Genetic discrimination.

Yes, genetic discrimination. Get used to those two words together, because they're likely to become a lot more common. With DNA tests now cheap and readily available, the number of people getting tests has gone way up—along with the potential for discrimination based on the results. When Colman's school tried to transfer him based on his genetic status, the lawsuit alleges, the district violated the Americans With Disabilities Act and Colman's First Amendment right to privacy. "This is the test case," says the Chadam's lawyer, Stephen Jaffe.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 03 2016, @11:55PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 03 2016, @11:55PM (#298786)

    Nonsense. His parents violated his medical privacy. It doesn't matter that they were responsible for him; it's still his privacy, as it pertains to him.

  • (Score: 2) by Freeman on Friday February 05 2016, @05:57PM

    by Freeman (732) on Friday February 05 2016, @05:57PM (#299517) Journal

    You can think of it technically as a violation of his medical privacy, but according to the law his parents are responsible for him. The parents have the right to disclose his medical history to third parties without violating his rights according to the law. Most children aren't capable of making informed decisions and are protected under the law for good reason. Which is also why you can't make a legally binding agreement with a child without their parents' / legal guardians' consent.

    --
    Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"