Exceptionalism and the Development of Genomics Law and Policy in Australia

In this article we examine the concept of genetic exceptionalism and its role in the development of genomics law and policy in Australia over the past two decades. We examine exceptionalism in a context where there is renewed debate within bioethics about its relevance for genomics, where the landscape of genetic and genomic science has undergone considerable change over the past 20 years, and where ethical, legal, and social issues continue to arise as governments seek to implement genomics into health care to achieve health benefits. We conclude that Australia has and can continue to take a sophisticated view of questions raised in the exceptionalist debate, and that recent calls for a contextual rather than exceptionalist approach offer a way forward that coheres with over 20 years of genetic and genomic law and policy in Australia.