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From: "Michael L. Hébert" <>
Subject: Re: [DNA] Dick Eastman's reaction to the "Stalking Strangers"article
Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2007 07:47:18 -0500
In-Reply-To: <c96.c277c15.33436b05@aol.com>


I didn't find the article disturbing per se. I don't think Amy Harmon is
anti-DNA and she has wrote other articles regarding DNA testing. I found a
video on one of her DNA stories (http://tinyurl.com/3dombb). Actually, it
is good to know that things that have crossed my own mind have been thought
about and even acted upon by other genetic gens. Exhumations happen all the
time for historical and scientific reasons. They dug up President Taylor
(ggg...g-uncle of my step mother) to see if he had been poisoned. They are
always digging up old graves on shows like Meet the Ancestors and doing
tests and facial reconstructions and such. So, unless one considers
genealogical research somehow less of a legitimate pursuit, then I don't see
a problem with exhumation for this type of research activity. I've even
thought about the possibility of laparoscopic probes that could penetrate
down into the grave and snatch a DNA sample without the disturbance of an
exhumation, perhaps grabbing a tooth (and hoping your ancestor didn't wear
dentures). Penetrating older wooden caskets might not be much of a problem,
but if the ancestor was buried in a double-layered steel coffin capsule then
there might be a problem.

The surreptitious DNA retrieval from live people is a bit of an
ethical/legal gray area. There don't seem to be many laws regarding this
activity in the U.S. Basically, once you discard something, it is public
property ... just like trash on the curb. Many U.S. DNA paternity testing
companies offer the testing of materials that are assumed to be obtained
without the donors knowledge or consent, such as chewing gum, drinking
glasses, toothbrushes, clothing, stained sheets, etc. However, the UK does
seem to have a law, the 2004 Human Tissue Act
(http://www.hta.gov.uk/about_hta/human_tissue_act.cfm), precluding this kind
of activity and as of 1 Sep 2006 made it illegal to possess any form of
human tissue for the purposes of DNA testing without the donor's consent,
calling such an offense "DNA theft". So, no McDonalds capers in the UK.

I suppose that we all draw our own ethical lines on issues. If I got to the
point where an unsolved mystery regarding my own family history was
bothering me enough and all other avenues had been exhausted, I could see
myself stalking for DNA and hanging out at McDonalds or swiping trash bags
off the curb.

Mike


-----Original Message-----
From:
Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2007 3:32 AM
To:
Subject: [DNA] Dick Eastman's reaction to the "Stalking Strangers" article

Dick Eastman found the article "rather disturbing" and felt it would "give
genealogy a black eye."

http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2007/04/extreme_genealo.html

There is a place to post comments.

Ann Turner

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