NEGATIVE — MEDICAL — DISADVANTAGES 262

PRIVACY CONTROLS STOP ABILITY TO TRACK CRIMINALS

DNA SAMPLE DATABASE IS USED TO TRY AND SOLVE UNSOLVED CRIMES

LEWIS W. DIUGUID THE KANSAS CITY STAR January 21, 2000, SECTION: OPINION; Pg. B7 ; TITLE: Lots of anti-privacy scams // acs-EE2001

The International Association of Police Chiefs wants Congress to require DNA samples from every person arrested in a crime. A law passed in 1991 in Missouri requires that DNA samples be taken from prisoners convicted of violent or sex-related offenses.

The samples are entered into a database and compared with DNA taken at the scenes of unsolved crimes to see whether someone already in prison was involved. DNA samples have been taken in Kansas prisons for years.

MEDICAL RECORD PRIVACY NEEDS TO BE BREACHED IN THE INTERESTS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT

Sarah Kellogg THE BALTIMORE SUN, June 27, 1999, SECTION: PERSPECTIVE ,5C TITLE: Nation debates need for medical privacy // acs-VT2001

That's the rub of the debate, say many: It can't simply be about keeping a secret, because there are times when medical records should be released.

Take law enforcement agencies. They would like to have access, through subpoenas and court orders,, to medical data to convict suspects. Scientists contend that specific medical information about a person's health -- with the person's identity hidden -- is useful in research.

"This is actually a very hard problem," said Dr. Gilbert Omenn, the University of Michigan's executive vice president for medical affairs. "There has to be a balance between privacy and confidentiality for patients and the need for research."

DNA SAMPLES FROM VIOLENT OFFENDERS MAKES IT EASY TO MATCH THEM UP TO FUTURE CRIMES

Amy Argetsinger; Craig Whitlock, The Washington Post, March 24, 1999, SECTION: METRO; Pg. B01 TITLE: Md. Seeks The DNA Of Violent Criminals; Critics Cite Threat To Privacy Rights Web // acs-EE2001

The move to expand the types of criminals who must submit to DNA testing is prompted by the fact that DNA can be collected in various ways at crime scenes -- from saliva left in a bite mark, for instance, or skin scrapings found under a victim's fingernails.

"The people we're collecting from are violent offenders," Portis said. "Those are the type that go out and repeat violence and leave DNA."

MEDICAL INFORMATION EXCHANGE HAS MANY SUBSTANTIAL BENEFITS

Edward C. Baig, Business Week, April 5, 1999; Pg. 84 TITLE: PRIVACY // acs-VT2001

There are, however, many jarring trade-offs in the medical-privacy debate. When managed right, medical data in digital form cut health-care costs, hasten and improve diagnoses, and reduce cases of prescription mix-ups. Computers also help administrators track doctors and spot unprofessional behavior. In genetics, digitized DNA repositories help scientists searching for links among genes and diseases -- just as they help the FBI collaborate on manhunts across continents. Down the road, doctors will tailor drug treatments to patients' total medical profile, including their genetic makeup.

MANY CRIMES ARE BEING SOLVED BY DNA SAMPLE DATABASE

Richard Willing USA TODAY January 18, 2000, SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 4A TITLE: Group favors states holding DNA samples But it also calls for study of privacy rights of convicts // acs-EE2001

Since the early 1990s, states have been drawing DNA samples from convicted killers, rapists and other criminals and storing it in local and federal databases. Crimes are solved by comparing the unique genetic material taken from convicts with samples left at crime scenes.

Since 1992, the system has scored matches in 732 crimes, according to the FBI. The exact number is unknown, but state officials are believed to have tested more than 350,000 DNA samples.