Genetic tests can provide life-saving information. They can help diagnose disease, enable access to preventive care, prompt early screening and treatment, and guide patients’ therapeutic options.
Jane Tiller
Ethical, Legal and Social Adviser, Public Health Genomic
Paul Lacaze
Associate Professor (Research), Chronic Disease and Ageing
In Australia, life insurance companies can legally use the results of genetic tests to discriminate. They can decline to provide life insurance coverage, increase the cost of premiums, or place exclusions on an individual’s cover. This is known as “genetic discrimination”.
Recently, a number of federal parliamentarians argued for a ban on genetic discrimination by life insurance companies. This follows recommendations from our research team for legislative reform so Australians don’t forego important genetic tests for fear of this discrimination.
Why would you have a genetic test?
We don’t choose our genetic risk factors. They exist from birth, can’t be changed, and are often passed down from parents to children, causing generations of disease.
Genetic testing can, in some cases, stop the generational curse of genetic disease through prevention and early intervention.
One of the most well-known examples is testing for changes in the BRCA1 gene, which significantly increases risks of breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer.
Angelina Jolie, who carries the BRCA1 gene mutation, famously wrote in the New York Times in 2013 about her decision to have surgeries to drastically reduce her chance of developing cancer.
