Genetic Testing of Workers

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the ethical issue of the genetic testing of employees who had filed carpal tunnel syndrome claims and reviews an article that discusses a specific legal case. This paper examines both sides of the settlement, using utilitarian and deontological considerations of ethics, and shows that despite the costs to the industry and the limitations for the future, this settlement was a fair compromise in the issue of genetic testing.

From the Paper:

"Examined using utilitarian ethics, this portion of the settlement would not be supported. Utilitarianism ethics stress that an action should only be undertaken if the cost of the action is less than any benefits that may be received by the majority of those involved (Scarre, 1996). In this case, since the potential lawsuits related to work-related carpal tunnel injuries would be difficult for the company to combat, and since the workers filing such claims are the minority, the payment for those lawsuits would almost certainly be higher than the benefits. The result, under utilitarianism, would be that the discontinuation of genetic testing would almost certainly create an end result of more payouts for work-related carpal tunnel claims, and since those claims are from a minority of individuals within the company, the payouts would not benefit the majority, and thus, the genetic testing should be continued."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company (BNSF). (2002, May 8). News release: BNSF and EEOC settle genetic testing case under Americans with Disabilities Act. Retrieved March 6, 2006 from BNSF. Web site: http://www.bnsf.com/media/news/articles/2002/05/2002-05-08-a.html.
• Kagan, S. (1998). Deontological foundations. Normative Ethics. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 240 - 305.
• Scarre, G. (1996). Utilitarianism. London: Routledge.
• Schafer, S. (2001, April 19). Railroad agrees to stop gene-testing workers. Washington Post, p. E01.

More papers on Genetic Testing of Workers:

• Analytical Essay # 126144 : "Genetic Discrimination in the Workplace"
• Argumentative Essay # 141735 : "The Problems with Genetic Testing"
• Essay # 137834 : "Arguing Against the Animal Ethics and Private Testing of Genetic Engineering Argument in David Steele’s “Danger Lurks in a Biotech World”"

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