Genetic Ties and the Future of the Family

The proposed research is a comprehensive assessment of the ethical, legal and social implications of non-forensic identity testing, with a special focus on implications for families. The research will address the following:

- different philosophical and ethical perspectives on parenthood and the parent-child relationship;

- the conceptual underpinnings of the law relevant to the family;

- the historical roots of different conceptions of the family and the demographics and economics of the family;

- empirical evidence concerning the effects of social patterns and family structures on development and well-being;

- the significance of genetic parentage and lineage in different subcultures;

- identity testing and the media;

- existing legal frameworks including areas of significant variation;

- trends in family law and the adequacy of the developing law to address the ethical and social implications of new genetic knowledge;

- the use of ad litems and alternative dispute resolution in conflicts about the testing and parentage of children;

- the implications of identity testing for other areas of law that concern the consequences of family relationship and the potential for genetic privacy laws to fill gaps in privacy protection;

- incentives created under existing and possible legal regimes;

- standards governing laboratories performing identity testing;

- laboratory quality issues;

- laboratory privacy issues;

- options for integration of counseling with testing.

The research design consists of philosophical, social science, and legal methods of research and analysis. Internet searches and a survey of laboratories would supplement traditional library-based research. In keeping with a commitment to interdisciplinary work, leading experts in the relevant fields would present papers for discussion and critique at a series of multidisciplinary meetings. Selected papers would form the basis of a scholarly book. Other outcomes would include a set of recommendations on legislation and other forms of regulation, guidelines for professionals, articles in scholarly journals and professional publications, and dissemination of findings through the popular media. All lines of research would culminate in a major conference in the fall of 2002. The conference would be open to the public and structured to attract a diverse audience.