Genetic tests could not be a condition for hiring or employee benefits such as health insurance, and discrimination against employees with genetic predispositions to disease would be barred. Heidi Wagner, a spokeswoman for the Washington-based Healthcare Leadership Council, which is organizing a national coalition of concerned employers, said the law proposed by Gore is too sweeping, considering that the practical applications for genetics are still largely unknown.
Genetic testing is so new.
But Gore said that although use of genetic testing to predict diseases such as cancer, cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy is not yet widespread, prejudice is already becoming a problem. The vice president retold the story of a woman who claimed she was fired when her boss learned she was genetically predisposed to Huntington's Disease. A survey by the Northwestern National Life Insurance Co. found that 15 percent of employers plan to begin checking the genetic status of prospective employees by 2000. Keep employers from using genetic information to discriminate against, limit, segregate, or classify employees in a way that would deprive them of opportunities. Generally prevent companies from obtaining or disclosing genetic information about employees or potential employees in most situations.