The Supreme Court has ruled that guidance on the running of the national DNA database – which states that all collected DNA signatures should be retained other than in "exceptional" circumstances – is unlawful. However the court, noting that Parliament is considering the matter, has declined to specify any remedy for the situation.
The ruling (53-page PDF/182KB [1]) follows appeals brought by two men, referred to as GC and C, against judgments which had seen their signatures kept on file indefinitely, even though GC had been released without charge following his sampling and C – facing allegations of rape – had been acquitted.
Police routinely collect DNA data on people they arrest, and in the vast majority of cases this data is kept on file indefinitely even if no charges or convictions ensue. The European Court of Human Rights ruled against this practice in 2008, but current guidance from the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) states that chief constables have discretion to keep DNA data on file – even in the case of innocent persons requesting to have...
By Betsy McKay, The Wall Street Journal | 03.11.2024
Aggregated News
Akintunde Odunsi is used to taking long, brisk walks. So he worried in 2021 when he started feeling so tired and short of breath that he had to turn back after a few minutes. The retired stockbroker, 73 years old...
Pressure on the German Embryo Protection Act is growing. The scientific community is launching a renewed attack on the controversial law and demands access to embryos for so-called high-ranking research objectives. "Germline therapies" are...
By Paul A. Lombardo, The New England Journal of Medicine | 03.02.2024
Aggregated News
In 1923, Boston City Hospital chose Dr. William Mayo, already famous for the work of his Minnesota clinic, to speak at the inauguration of a new laboratory. Mayo’s thoughts on hospital administration, published in the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal...
The Center for Genetics and Society is fiscally sponsored by Tides Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Please visit www.tides.org/state-nonprofit-disclosures for additional information.