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. 2012 Jan 26;3(2):125–141. doi: 10.1007/s12687-012-0077-1

Table 3.

Items covered by the various definitions of genetic testing contained in legislation

COUNTRY Legislation Legal field (scope) Type of testing (context) Object (material/method)
Labour/insurance law Privacy, confidentiality and biobanks law Health care law Forensic/criminal/civil identification/family law Complex Diagnostic testing Presymptomatic testing Disease predisposition testing Drug response Carrier testing Prenatal testing PGD Population screening Identity testing Chromosomes DNA Specific gene products Routine blood tests Family history
EU + CoE
 “Opinion No. 18” + + + + + + +
 “Recommendation No. R (92) 3” + + + + + + +
 “CDBI-CO-GT4” + + + +
 “Oviedo Convention” + + +
 “Additional Protocol” + + + + + + + + + + +
Austria
 “Austrian Gene Technology Act” + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Belgium
 “Royal Decree” + + +
Bulgaria
 “Bulgarian Health Act” + + +
Cyprus
 “The Safeguarding …” + + +
Demark
 “… on patients’ rights” + + + +
 “Law on artificial fertilization…” + +
 “Act on the use of health data …” + + +
Estonia
 “Human Genes Research Act” + + +
Finland
 “Privacy in Working Life” + + +
France
 “Code Penal” + +
 “Criminal Procedure” + +
Germany
 “Predictive Health Information …” + + + + + + + +
 “Second Interim Report” + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
 “Genetic diagnosis …” + + + + + + + + + + +
“GenDG” + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Greece
 “Opinion on Prenatal …” + + + + + + +
 “Use of Genetic Data” + + + + +
Hungary
 “Health Care Act” + + +
 “Proposal to the Government…” + + + + + + +
Ireland
 “A Guide to Ethical Conduct …” + + +
 “Disability Act 2005” + + + +
Italy
 “Bioethical guidelines …” + + + + + + +
Latvia
 “Human Genome Research Law” + + + +
Northern Ireland
 “The Human Organ Transplants” + +
Portugal
 “Personal genetic information” + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Slovakia
 “…identification of persons” + +
Sweden
 “Act on Genetic Integrity” + + +
 “Biobanks in Medical Care Act” + +
The Netherlands
 “The application of Genetics …” + + + + + + + + + + + +
UK
 “Human Tissue and Embryos Bill” + + + + + + + +
 “Code of practice …” + + + + +
 “Discrimination Law Review …” + +
 “Concordat and Moratorium …” + + + + + +
 “The use of Personal Data …” + + +
 “Our Inheritance, Our Future” + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
 “… genetic paternity testing” + + +
 “Laboratory Services for Genetics” + + + + + + + + + + + +
 “Human Tissue Act 2004” + + + +
Australia
 “Guidelines for prioritising… + + + + + +
 “Ethical guidelines… + + + + + +
 “Genetic testing and storage… + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
 “ALRC 96 + + + + + + + + + +
Canada
 “CCMG Mol.Gen. Guidelines” + + + + + + + + +
Georgia
 “on the Rights of Patients” + + + +
Iceland
 “… biological samples in biobanks” + + +
Japan
 “Guidelines for genetic testing” + + + + + + + + + + + + +
 “… using DNA analysis” + + + +
Norway
 “… biotechnology in human medicine” + + + + + + + + + + + +
 “The medical use of biotechnology” + +
Switzerland
 “Ordinance on DNA” + +
 “Human Genetic Testing—Federal Law” + + + + + + + + + + + +
United States
 “Executive Order …” + + + + +
 “… Non-discrimination Act of 2008” + + + + + +
 “Genomics and Personalized …” + + + + + +

(+) ‘legal field’ touched by each document (scope) and whether a given term or phrase was used in it (context and material/method covered)