2008 U.S. Genetics Law Leaves Polygenic Risk Scores Exposed to Workplace Bias

1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 28

Current U.S. law can let employers deny job accommodations tied to a worker’s elevated genetic disease risk, even when a doctor recommends changes to prevent future harm.
The gap stems from older statutes: the 2008 Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act bars firing over genetic test results, while the Americans With Disabilities Act protects existing disabilities, not predicted ones.
Polygenic risk scores are driving the problem because they estimate future odds of diseases such as heart attack, diabetes and cancer by combining many DNA variants rather than testing for a single mutation.
Legal and public health scholars say the technology’s growing use in personalized medicine is outpacing anti-discrimination rules, potentially leaving people who take genetic tests vulnerable at work.

Your DNA predicts a future illness. Can your boss legally deny you a less stressful role to help prevent it?

As Australia bans insurers from using genetic data, why does U.S. law still leave citizens vulnerable to discrimination?

Will predictive genetic tests create a new 'genetic underclass' in the workplace and insurance markets?