Topic: Privacy of Personal Genetic Information
Country: Afghanistan
Delegate Name: Georgia Bayerl
School: Williamston High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Afghanistan position papers GLIMUN 2010 committees
Since 2003 and the completion of the Genome Project many questions have arisen around the world on the legal and moral intricacies of genetic information and access to it. Although genetic information can provide incredible aid in medical studies and advancements, privacy must be taken into consideration when discussing how it should be released.
Genetic information could be of great use in the science community, however the ethics of the release policies for genetic information must be taken into account. On a world scale Afghanistan opposes the free release of genetic information. For any country to have access to the personal information of an Afghani is not an option. However, Afghanistan does support the right for central governments of countries to use its civilian’s genetic information in matters of the nation’s security, for example in criminal cases.
While Afghanistan is not in the forefront of genetic testing, our government does recognize the invaluable benefits of this information in medical, criminal and immigrant uses. Genetic information is currently used in Afghanistan to prove the validity of a person claim to family ties within our borders, as well as in criminal trials. Government’s access to this information is something that Afghanistan wholly supports in all countries. However a worldwide database and world access to this information is an infringement on the ethical rights to privacy of Afghanistan and its people. Genetic information should be kept strictly by the government of the country in which the person is a civilian and the medical community within that country, unless a person willingly gives up their genetic information to a study. A worldwide database or open access to the information will not be supported by Afghanistan, for we believe it will lead to genetic discrimination against many people around the world and within our country.
