Iowa Senator Tom Harkin is joining a group that aims to keep “Big Brother” from hounding people and invading their personal lives. Harkin has been named to a Privacy Task Force by the Senate Democratic leadership.The panel aims to protect medical & financial records and other private information. Harkin says too many intimate details of our lives are being made available to the highest bidders, especially when it comes to medical records.President Clinton signed an executive order yesterday prohibiting the federal government from using genetic information in any hiring or promotion decisions. Harkin says that’s a good start, but more needs to be done in the area of genetic discrimination.Harkin says great scientific advances won’t mean a thing if people are afraid to be tested for genetic conditions, for fear they might lose a job.
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