title: The human genome project: an historical perspective for social workers.
abstract: Having mapped the human genome, the Human Genome Project maintains that certain genes can be linked to specific diseases and certain forms of human behavior. This breakthrough, it is hoped, will lead to the effective treatment, even the elimination of serious, debilitating illnesses for all groups of people. However, because the project conjures up memories of eugenics, the project raises concerns about its potential for identifying and linking diseases and social conditions (e.g., criminal behavior) to certain groups. This article places the Human Genome Project in historical context in terms of its resemblance to the eugenics movement in America and a period in social work history when the profession embraced eugenics and was guided by the movement's premises in its response to poor people.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Work, Delaware State University, Dover, Delaware 19901, USA. mlanjeni@verizon.net
authors.forename: Marlene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saunders
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000235:genetics* / Q000266:history; D054521:Cultural Competency; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D005053:Eugenics / Q000266:history; D015894:Genome, Human; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D016045:Human Genome Project / Q000266:history*; D006801:Humans; D012947:Social Work / Q000266:history*; D014481:United States