Discarded DNA
An artist, Heather Dewey-Hagborg, collected detritus
from the streets of New York City and with the DNA from the items reconstructed
the owner’s faces. Her sculptures used genetic markers for eye color, hair
color, racial ancestry, and facial structure. The predictions provided by the
discarded DNA were not enough to cause the sculpture to closely resemble the
original owners of the DNA but they did make me wonder about genetic surveillance
and consent. The artist just assumed there were no laws governing abandoned DNA
materials in public places, like ashtrays and public trash receptacles, and
even the city streets. The U.S. does have a patch work of genetic privacy laws,
but none written to address the testing of abandoned DNA. Interesting, I think.
Dewey-Hagborg argued that her project doesn't infringe on the privacy of the
DNA donors because they are unlikely to be recognized from the sculptures. If
nothing else, this might make some think twice about being litter bugs.
It is an interesting issue since government authorities already use discarded items to gather potential evidence against an individual. Additionally, some municipalities require oral swabs of individuals being released from incarceration to have them on file for future potential identification. On the good side, collecting samples from relatives, loved ones, and children can often help speed up identification in the case of catastrophe or accident.
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