Thierry Ehrmann
By
Hazel Speed
According to latest news, pigtails found in a dirty tobacco tin are to be DNA tested to ascertain if they are those of some of the mutineers associated with the story of Captain Bligh.
Intriguing though this may be, should we be worried by the inevitability of everyone’s DNA content one day belonging to The State by default ?
Coincidentally, in recent weeks there has been a television commercial asking viewers to send away for a DNA testing kit as a more up-to-date way of family tree research so one can ascertain long lost relatives more easily and a lot quicker.
Should we be worried?
Presently there are strict rules, we are led to believe, for the powers that be to obtain our DNA and special Court Orders required or Police Arrest/blood sample taken if a person is caught driving over the alcohol limit – these are the most obvious ways of legitimately obtaining one’s DNA even if it is a secondary feature to the main objective, i.e. to measure alcohol level in the blood.
We often voluntarily give blood samples or blood donations. A hospital cannot legally divulge such samples for DNA testing unless strict criteria of formalities are observed. Or at least that is what we are told.
On the good side, of course, we hear of evidence samples (whether blood or clothing), associated with historic crimes and learn that it has been retested for DNA (a procedure not available at the time of the crime), and a DNA match has thus been found which ties in with a person who is still alive but may have had DNA on file via one of the above means or another.
So should a person only be worried if they are guilty of a crime?
DNA and fingerprints can both be easily and ‘legally in one way, but illegally in another’ obtained then misused via an item being obtained and then re-planted (i.e. picking up and retaining a person’s used drinking glass or cup for instance), therefore by keeping legal confines in place in respect of our rights concernimg access to our DNA ensures at least one main barrier against the miscarriage of Justice.
Just think, for those who choose to try and trace their family tree through submitting their DNA to one Company or another, a time may arrive whereby any Government of the day can legislate for all collective detail to be handed over from such a commercial company through the facility of just one Court Order.
Do we really want that to happen..?
Hazel Speed
Photo (c) Hazel Speed – used by kind permision to Tuck Magazine
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