A few weeks ago  the new  Human Tissue Act 2004 came  in to force for the
first time which will outlawed the taking and testing of DNA samples without
the subject's consent, which according to the Human Genetics Commission
(HGC) would be a gross intrusion on their privacy.

It's another one those laws where Blair's dreadful New Labour government
never really consulted the people it affected at all. And they've come up
with piece of legislation that is hardly really workable at all given that
you can order a test on the internet send the sample abroad for testing and
have the results sent back to all for much less than it would have cost in
the UK anyway.

There will be a maximum three-year prison sentence for anyone caught holding
bodily material with intent to analyse its DNA without consent.

I can understand wanting to stop journalist from nicking celebrity tooth
brushes to see who's whose daddy then publishing it in the Sunday Drivel,
but there are occasion where it might be vital to know if so and so is your
father and to be able to find out discretely with out 'dad' necessarily
needing to know or indeed dad's other offspring, might we not sometime want
to know who our brothers and sisters are without them needing to know about
their father's indiscretions if it turns out he wasn't dad after all?

Perhaps it's a good thing that employers wanting to use DNA to check up on
staff, or insurance companies on their policy holders, will be prevented
from doing so. But family matters are a different thing surely?
 
 The legislation does allow a man to have his alleged child tested to have
the child's DNA analysed without getting consent from either the child or
mother. He can submit the DNA along with his own for paternity testing.
Surely the grownup child should have some right about his or her father.

What about where an adoption that  took place 20, 30, 40 years ago and the
question of paternity arises all those years later? Can we find out if our
father is who our mother said without having to disturb his life or that of
his current family?. Well I think the answer is still yes, but we'll have to
send the sample abroad.

Knowing who ones father really is and what genes he may have passed on to
you may be a life saver for you or your children, should anyone have a right
to prevent you from knowing?

What do you think to it all?

Robin

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