In an open letter to physicians, brought on by an email exchange with Steve Murphy, regarding direct-to-consumer genomics and personalized medicine, blogger William Gunn says that many laws regarding regulation of medical tests were written when people didn't want to see raw data and when tests weren't so accurate. Now, Gunn writes, "People neither want nor need a gatekeeper now. It's not about self-treatment, it's about empowerment." He urges the medical community to "in your advocacy of personalized medicine, abandon the paternalistic model."
In his own post, Murphy writes that he agrees with much of Gunn's letter, though, he hopes that empowered and motivated patients rely on their physicians rather than genetic testing companies.