Canada's Supreme Court is poised to rule on the constitutionality of the country's genetic non-discrimination law, CBC News reports.
In 2017, Canada passed a bill that added genetic characteristics as protected grounds under the Canadian Human Rights Act. The law further barred companies from making employees undergo genetic testing or disclose genetic testing results and insurance companies from requiring customers to undergo testing to receive coverage. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau argued, however, that the law infringed on provinces' right to regulate the insurance market, and a few weeks after its passage, the law was challenged on constitutional grounds.
According to CBC, that case has found its way to the Supreme Court, which is to issue a ruling today. It adds that the ruling could have widespread ramifications for genetic testing and personalized medicine.
"Nobody should be discriminated against because of their DNA, because of their chromosomal makeup," Liberal MP Rob Oliphant, who sponsored the legislation in the House of Commons, tells CBC. "If the ruling is against us on this, we will find another way."