Abstract

The use of genetic information about a patient may cause serious concern within the discourse on informa¬tional privacy. In our article we would like to discuss a positive example of a diagnostic use of genetic infor¬mation in the field of molecular genetics. With regard to this example we will discuss the question who owns the genetic information to determine who should decide which data is to be stored or deleted. We will use a Kantian concept of property in order to show that the genetic information in the example given is to be considered the property of the patient. We shall argue, that the information should be considered as a part of the medical sphere, which is to be informationally sealed. Although we present hereby a theoretical frame¬work for a design of an appropriate information infrastructure, we will finally point out to the high costs of such an infrastructure