Opening the door to genetic testing and its potential health benefits to anyone with $99 and the desire to spit into a test tube is an exciting prospect. But only if the tests are accurate, the interpretations meaningful, and the results understandable to the average consumer.
Ordinary people can benefit from this information. And they have a right to it without going to a medical specialist or spending a fortune. The government can’t and shouldn’t protect consumers from “bad” decisions by barring them from their own medical information. But, like a home pregnancy test, a gene report needs to be accurate, and the government has a role in ensuring that it is.
Read the full, original story: Ensure that genetic tests are accurate: Our view