DNA Technology

Since the turn of the 21st century, the use of DNA technology has gained a firm foothold in society. DNA technology is now increasingly called on to serve both state and private functions. In state practices, DNA technology is employed in surveillance by law enforcement, and in the private sphere, the use of DNA technology (e.g., by employers, genetic testing companies) calls forth issues of privacy invasion and employment discrimination. The ubiquity of DNA technology in both public and private domains is spurred by sociological phenomena such as genetic essentialism and genetic determinism. Genetic essentialism is the notion that the genetic material is the “essence” of the individual, and genetic determinism is the concept that genetic information is determinative of an individual’s predisposition for disease ...