I am no longer embarrassed by my "guild" nor am I surprised by anything they do in my name. At some point they will over-reach and the rebellion will surprise them, harm some, and be the beginning of changes in the fueled that will some day help us all. For now, take a look at this latest outrage: [HT: Glenn Reynolds
Your genes, your rights – FDA’s Jeffrey Shuren misleading testimony under oath
In the very near future you may be forced to go through a “professional” to get access to your genetic information. Professionals who will be well paid to “interpret” a complex morass of statistical data which they barely comprehend. Let’s be real here: someone who regularly reads this blog (or Dr. Daniel MacArthur or Misha’s blog) knows much more about genomics than 99% of medical doctors. And yet someone reading this blog does not have the guild certification in the eyes of the government to “appropriately” understand their own genetic information. Someone reading this blog will have to pay, either out of pocket, or through insurance, someone else for access to their own information. Let me repeat: the government and professional guilds which exist to defend the financial interests of their members are proposing that they arbitrate what you can know about your genome. A friend with a background in genomics emailed me today: “If they succeed in ramming this through, then you will not be able to access your own damn genome without a doctor standing over your shoulder.” That is my fear. Is it your fear? Do you care?
Bureaucrats must do what bureaucrats must do; they must regulate to their self-aggrandizement and the detriment of our freedoms. That is their nature; without the desire, and rationalized need, to control our behavior they would be out of a job. We do not need an FDA; it impedes far more than it helps and as progress speeds up, its impedimentary powers (the only powers it has) can only slow us down.
Recent Comments