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The article discusses a reported effort to define the scope of public engagement in regards to a "right not to know" in public health genomics as of March 2014. Autonomy and an individual's rights are addressed in relation to bioethics, personal genetic information, and the promotion of the common good. Transparency and communication are mentioned in regards to democratic participation in health policy decision-making. Disease development and genetic susceptibility are also examined.

The article discusses a right to privacy in relation to Canadian paediatric biobanks, and it mentions the legal efforts to control access to and the use of personal information. Privacy legislation and policies are addressed, along with legislative reform and the Supreme Court of Canada's definition of information privacy. Public trust and the legal aspects of third parties are examined, along with the use and transfer of a child's data and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The article offers an overview on the regulatory framework for pharmacogenomic tests in Canada, the U.S., and Europe. It examines the different regulatory pathways for pharmacogenomic tests commercialized as test kits and laboratory-developed tests (LDTs). It evaluates the issues related to the regulatory framework and its impact in relation to meeting the goals of promoting the advancement of pharmacogenomics and ensuring public safety.

While newborn blood spot screening has historically been viewed as a public health success, the potential harms and benefits are more finely balanced for new conditions being considered for program expansion. We highlight complex issues that must be addressed in policy decisions, which in turn requires a consideration of many stakeholder perspectives. Using national policy documents from the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and Canada, we describe the participation of stakeholder organizations in the newborn screening policy process, how such organizations have incorporated stakeholder views into their own policy writing, and their recommendations for inclusiveness. Stakeholder participation in newborn screening decision-making is widely acknowledged as important, and many methods have been endorsed – consultation as well as direct or indirect input into policy development. Differences across organizations and jurisdictions raise questions about the most effective approaches for facilitating inclusiveness, suggesting a need for formal evaluative research.Journal of Public Health Policy (2008) 29, 121–142. doi:10.1057/palgrave.jphp.3200161 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the article "Unpredictable Drug Shortages: An Ethical Framework for Short-Term Rationing in Hospitals" by P. M. Rosoff. In the article the authors offer their opinions on several points which are raised in Rosoff's article and on problems related to drug shortages in hospitals across the globe.

The article offers information on the expansion of newborn screening in pursuit of the reproductive benefits in the U.S., Denmark, and Canada. Reproductive benefit has been considered secondary to identifying treatable condition in newborn screening within the consent or mandatory systems to receive information. Moreover, the author argues that pursuing health benefit through newborn screening program is not appropriate and may be best achieved through traditional antenatal screening programs.

Health care providers and families with children who participate in genetic research or who need specialized genetic services, including genetic testing, will encounter not only medical but difficult social, ethical, and legal questions surrounding pediatric genetic neurology. Children are often at the center of much of the genetic revolution and their unique needs raise special concerns about the risks and benefits associated with genetic research, particularly the issues of consent, the use of genetic databases, and gene therapy. Moreover, genetic research and testing raise important psychosocial risks. In this article we discuss some of the benefits and consequences of genetic technologies for children in relation to national and international guidelines. In particular, physicians, policy-makers, and families should be knowledgeable about the guidelines and have a good understanding of the psychosocial and ethical issues associated with genetics in pediatric neurology.