politics

Kathryn Paige Harden is a professor of psychology at the University of Texas, where she leads the Developmental Behavior Lab and co-directs the Texas twin project. The author of a new book, The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality, Harden argues that DNA testing can be used in policy-making and research not to reify existing inequalities, as eugenicists and racists suggest, but to recast genetic differences as luck – the Genetic Lottery – and build a case for our duty as a society to do more for those who have less. A progressive who challenges many progressive pieties, Harden has made a mark; her work has been featured in the New York Times, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, and the New Yorker – to name but a few.

The legal landscape for abortion is changing rapidly, and in ways that will inevitably affect genetic counseling practice in many states. Joining Laura to discuss the new laws and the role that NSGC can play – if the organization decides that protecting reproductive rights is a priority for its membership-- is Jordan Brown, assistant Director at the genetic counseling program at the Ohio State University, vice chair of the NSGC Public Policy Committee, and a member of the newly formed NSGC Task Force looking at the challenges to reproductive rights. Recently, Jordan documented her concern over the response – or lack thereof – to an issue fundamental to GC practice in a blog post on the DNA Exchange.

“It’s been a crazy time,” says Gillian Hooker, of the first 5 weeks of her year as President of the National Society of Genetic Counselors. NSGC is attempting to rally support around HR3235, a long-discussed and long-promised federal bill that would permit CMS to recognize genetic counselors as medical caregivers for the purposes of billing, that FINALLY made it to Congress in 2019. A possible wrench in the gears? ACMG announced last month that it cannot support the bill as written.

Why not? Will it matter?

Gillian comes on The Beagle to answer our burning questions (and to tell us to play nice…).