Who Owns Your Genes? How Gene Patents are Trampling Individual Rights
Sunday, August 12
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Moscone Center West, Room 2002

Patents on the sequences of human genes significantly affect civil liberties, including guarantees of freedom of religion, freedom of expression and academic freedom, as well as reproductive liberty, privacy, and the right to informed consent.  In some instances, gene patent holders have prevented people from learning their own genetic makeup or that of their fetus.  In addition, patents of genes have had significant impact on the cost and quality of health care.  The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted tens of thousands of patents on human genes and genetic materials, and evidence is mounting that these human gene patents are inhibiting important biomedical research and interfering with patient care.  This panel will explore gene patenting from a range of perspectives, and propose new legal and ethical frameworks for approaching these issues.

• Michael Crichton, Author, (invited)
• Lori Andrews, Professor, Chicago-Kent College of Law
• Michelle Goodwin, DePaul University

Co-Sponsors: Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice, Section of Family Law, Section of Litigation