The Human Genome Project and Women

The objectives of this project are to determine the impact of the HGP on women, to examine whether this impact meets standards of fairness or gender justice, and to identify ways of avoiding or reducing the possibility of unfairness or gender injustice in the formulation of institution and social policies. The specific aims include the development of a common core of scientific, psychosocial, legal, and ethical knowledge regarding the impact, or probable impact, of the HGP on women; identification of criteria against which the possibility of gender justice may be measured; application of these criteria to three areas of research: cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, and breast cancer; determination of an agenda for future research; public education concerning impact of HGP on women; and recommendations for ways in which gender justice may be preserved or promoted by HGP research and its applications.