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Democratising Access to Genetic Services

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Abstract

Professional and policy discussions about the appropriate funding and allocation of health cares services are an essential part of the management of public and private health care insurance plans. However, the ability of governments and health professionals to equitably decide on the distribution of health care is being challenged by the increasing drive to patent health care technologies. Referring to the case of genetic testing for hereditary breast cancer (and Myriad Genetics’ patenting of the BRCA1 & BRCA2 genes), this paper applies some concepts from moral philosophy to think through the effects of the commercialisation of genetic technologies, and what would constitute a more just and rational approach to health care decision-making, in the context of the Canadian health insurance system.

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Abbreviations

BRCA:

breast cancer, referring to either the genes (in italics) or the genetic test

CHA:

Canada Health Act

DTC:

direct-to-consumer

HCP:

Hereditary Cancer Program, British Columbia Cancer Agency

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Author notes

  1. Bryn Williams-Jones

    Present address: Département de Médicine Sociale et préventive, Université de Mointréal, C.P. 6128, succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal. (Québec), Canada, H3C 3J7

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cardiff Institute of Society, Health and Ethics, Cardiff University, 53 Park Place, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom, CF10 3AT

    Bryn Williams-Jones

  2. W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics and Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, V6T 1Z2, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Michael M. Burgess

Authors
  1. Bryn Williams-Jones
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  2. Michael M. Burgess
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Correspondence to Bryn Williams-Jones.

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Williams-Jones, B., Burgess, M.M. Democratising Access to Genetic Services. Familial Cancer 5, 117–121 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10689-005-2582-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10689-005-2582-4

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