Patenting People: Should we be able to patent genes?
As the human genome has become better understood, we have uncovered pieces of DNA that are incredibly valuable for human health. That value has in turn been monetized, which is expected from any good capitalist society. But is human DNA fair game for capitalistic gain? Perhaps it is because, at this point in time, there are over 10,000 genes of the human genome that have been patented. That means that nearly half of the human genes that we know to code for proteins are "owned" by a cooperation. Does this give you a sinking feeling?... One specific example of this genetic monopolization is seen in the diagnosis [...]