Download IFP Newsletter - ELSA Germany
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international Conference on Health law<br />
past and our future. I shall elaborate on<br />
this aspect of the matter – what impact<br />
does possessing this information can<br />
have on our lives<br />
In Poland, it is possible to make<br />
simple genetic tests without any<br />
interference from the state. Our legislature<br />
has not yet taken any decisive<br />
steps to control this activity. If it is<br />
one’s wish, one can conduct an anonymous<br />
genetic test of any sample you<br />
submit. The results may never be admissible<br />
in court, but be that as it may,<br />
they can be used to devastating effect<br />
on many occasions. During our Conference<br />
we discussed its application in<br />
private paternity tests and in insurance<br />
sector.<br />
With the widespread development<br />
of private testing firms, the number<br />
of conducted paternity test has<br />
skyrocketed. But what it means for<br />
an average family Depending on the<br />
survey, from 5 to 30 percent of the<br />
children are born out of the wedlock.<br />
The guiding principle of the Family<br />
Law has always been protection of<br />
child’s welfare. Would every father care<br />
for illegitimate child in the same way as<br />
if it was his own How many families<br />
would be split, unable to bear the constant<br />
reminder of betrayal<br />
There is also another situation, in<br />
which information about our genetic<br />
code can be used. If insurance<br />
companies possessed that sensitive<br />
data, they would be able to tell which<br />
diseases we are susceptible to, what<br />
kind of illness we could possibly have<br />
in the future and… even our approximate<br />
age of death. It would allow them<br />
to prepare personalized profiles for all<br />
of us, creating an insurance offer maximizing<br />
their own possible profit, at the<br />
expense of ours. The Supreme Court<br />
of Poland has ruled that the genetic<br />
analysis has to be made with consent<br />
of the person, whose sample is being<br />
analyzed. But without government’s<br />
monitoring of this grey area, nothing<br />
will change. It is possible that one day<br />
we will become victims of our own<br />
hope that this article<br />
has “I<br />
shown you how<br />
interesting and diverse<br />
different aspects of<br />
Medical Law are.<br />
shortsightedness, not regulating this<br />
extremely sensitive branch of medicine<br />
when we still had a chance.<br />
I hope that this article has shown<br />
you how interesting and diverse<br />
different aspects of Medical Law<br />
are. It is my belief, that our rights to<br />
obtain, protect, and freely share information<br />
concerning our health and genetic<br />
make-up data will become more<br />
significant in years to come. Even<br />
in Information Age, let us not become<br />
arrogant and be lured into false<br />
sense of security. We should still<br />
consider the wisdom of Horace’s<br />
words.<br />
Jakub Sekulski<br />
Assistant for International Focus<br />
Programme<br />
<strong>ELSA</strong> Poznan<br />
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24 <strong>IFP</strong><strong>Newsletter</strong>