Genetic Discrimination, DNA Got a Kid Kicked Out of School

This is going to be something happening more frequently now

A few weeks into sixth grade, Colman Chadam had to leave school because of his DNA.

The situation, odd as it may sound, played out like this. Colman has genetic markers for cystic fibrosis, and kids with the inherited lung disease can’t be near each other because they’re vulnerable to contagious infections. Two siblings with cystic fibrosis also attended Colman’s middle school in Palo Alto, California in 2012. So Colman was out, even though he didn’t actually have the disease

When Colman was born in 2000, DNA analysis of newborns was still rare. But he had a congenital heart problem that led to extra tests. That, in turn, led doctors to discover that he carried some genetic markers associated with cystic fibrosis. His markers are no guarantee of a disease though, and Colman never developed any cystic fibrosis. Still, his parents disclosed the information when filling out a medical form to enroll Colman in school.

That information made its way to teachers, who allegedly told the parents of the two other students with cystic fibrosis during a parent-teacher conference. Those parents allegedly demanded the Chadams remove their son from school. Eventually the the school district allowed Colman to return after missing a couple weeks.

Wired

This is a problem now, but imagine when we all gonna be soon too poor to buy the good genes, the research is going strong in UK, GATTACA seems very real to me now.

I was going to say how this is the worst kind of discrimination as you cannot changes your genes, you are born that way, but then I remembered that being black is also in the genes so its pretty much the same to the old discrimination, whoops.

This is news now because justice is slow, the parents sued back then, they move to another place, and now is that is being process, I think the other kids parents are crap, if you are worried about your kid take it out of school, don't make the other kid kick out of it, its not his fault

a reply to: Indigent

This doesn't make any sense. First of all, something like 1 in 26 people of (at least primarily) European descent are cystic fibrosis carriers (myself included). If you are a carrier you don't have the disease, it just means that you have one copy of the mutation. People who have the disease have two copies of the mutation.

Second, if there are already two students at the school who have cystic fibrosis why would they cry foul about a third?

And finally, for goodness sakes, the parents of these kids with CF should (and probably do) know the difference between carrier status and active cystic fibrosis. Out of a hundred white kids at least three are going to be carriers and they should know that too. This is weird.

a reply to: Indigent

Don't worry.

There is every reason to be upset that people are thinking of preventing access to basics like education on the basis of genetics, but in terms of the work being done at the moment... Well, put it this way, science has nothing on nature when it comes to diversifying and thus strengthening our species. See, if you select for certain strengths, you eliminate others by default.

The strength of genes in that they contain perhaps fewer, or no markers for disease means that weakness will be inherent in any resulting population of gene altered beings. Not weakness of physical body, but of mind. Every child born on this planet at the moment is not genetically perfect. There are no humans running around the place, with gene code which has no potential for sickness of any kind, and we all learned perseverance to deal with our little quirks. Mine are mostly mental, or neurophysical, and I do have a swayed back, and had asthma when I was younger. I either used, or crushed those quirks according to the needs of the situation. I stand up straight and breathe damned well thank you very much. I am still a bit of a mad bugger, and always have been, but in an increasingly insane world, it is the only logical response to be completely mental. So that's fine too!

The potential for children to be born without holes in their hearts, damaged spinal cords, faulty organs or cancer traits is something impressive and obviously appealing. However, it must be recognised that perfection is not possible, because if you remove every genetic weakness from the species, it will turn to egoism to a greater degree than it has, and will set itself afire in its own self worship.

I am surprised to find this but:

www.cysticfibrosis.org.uk...

although I don't see anywhere with a carrier of the gene would be a problem, maybe I missed it but I always thought that you needed the gene from both parents to have the symptoms, and well, if you don't have the symtoms, then I don't see how it would pose more dangers.

The article also mentioned the GINA law passed 2008.

To experts in genetics law, four letters are conspicuously missing from the legal wrangling: GINA, or the federal Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008. GINA bars genetic discrimination in just two cases: employment or health insurance. That obviously doesn’t include getting education and housing and plenty of other situation where discrimination might happen.

I knew there was a law that prevented discrimination based on DNA. I just didn't realize it was so limited. Even in the last 7 years since this law was passed, DNA testing has gotten more sophisticated and inexpensive.

Congress should fix this oversight. But with congress so now ideologically divided, I don't think that a simple piece of legislation like that would ever pass.

-dex

a reply to: DexterRiley

Well it might, if congress persons were not so fond of attaching unrelated amendments to the back end of the documents.

You might need to fire them all first.

a reply to: DexterRiley

US congress making laws against discrimination is good, too bad for the other 95% of the world?

a reply to: Indigent

I think it must be stated that this research may have been in the works for some time in some dark place, where the eyes of the world are not permitted to probe. There's always a madder scientist, somewhere.

One word Gattica

a reply to: Indigent

US congress making laws against discrimination is good, too bad for the other 95% of the world?

It took a few seconds before I understood what you were getting at. Yes, we Yanks tend to see things from the limited perspective of our own country. I'm sure places like the EU will pass laws similar to this, if they're not already in place. But in other countries and regions it's probably going to take more time.

a reply to: TrueBrit

You might need to fire them all first.

Oh my! The very thought of that "stirred my loins" so to speak. If we could clean out all 3 branches of our government, and undo all of the partisan gerrymandering, we might reestablish a functional government.

I can think of no one better than you to come up with an apt metaphor for that happening.


Ah, but we can dream can't we?

-dex

If the other parents did not like it they should have removed their children.