A coalition of Icelandic doctors and citizens last week vowed to sue their
government for allowing the health records of all Icelanders to pass into
private hands. Last month, the government handed over an exclusive licence
allowing DeCode Genetics of Reykjavik to own and run the database, using it to
identify genes linked with disease. Opponents, led by an organisation called
Mannvernd, say the law allowing the transfer is unconstitutional because it
breaks the contract between doctors and their patients. “Our lawsuit will be
against the state of Iceland,” says Einar Arnason, vice chairman of Mannvernd.
Many doctors throughout Iceland…
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features

ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû1000¼¯ºÏ
Woman with Alzheimer's starts conversing again after taking psilocybin
News

Life
New-to-science spider builds trap that flings ants into the air
News

ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû1000¼¯ºÏ
How menopause radically changes the brain – and what happens after
Features

Mind
‘Fusogenic’ neurosurgery let paralysed pigs walk again – are we next?
Comment
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
How menopause radically changes the brain – and what happens after
2
Faecal transplant makes the brains of old mice act young again
3
New-to-science spider builds trap that flings ants into the air
4
We've found a mysterious substance on Titan and Pluto
5
A promising natural technique to remove CO2 could backfire
6
Woman with Alzheimer's starts conversing again after taking psilocybin
7
A quantum state that lasts forever may finally be within our grasp
8
People training new AI models admit they just get chatbots to do it
9
Can prebiotics, probiotics or postbiotics help your ageing microbiome?
10
‘Fusogenic’ neurosurgery let paralysed pigs walk again – are we next?