55 Percent of Americans Think That You Should Be Allowed to Buy Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Tests
In November, the Food and Drug Admininstration ordered the direct-to-consumer genotype screening company 23andMe to stop selling its Personal Genome Service to the public. Why the ban? Because the agency bureaucrats fear that Americans are too stupid to handle the information supplied by the company. The company has agreed to stop selling to new customers, but will still provide updates to current customers. The December Reason-Rupe Poll asked:
Do you think the government should prohibit people from [Buying genetic testing kits that provide information about a person's DNA (such as information about risk factors for certain diseases)], or should the government allow people to do this?
• Prohibit………………………………………….37%
• Allow……………………………………………..55%
• DK/Refused………………………………………8%
But the FDA thinks it knows better than the majority of Americans.