Should individuals own their DNA?

Proponents of this position hold that a person should have ownership rights over their own genetic data: that because DNA identifies and describes the individual permanently, control over who may hold, read, share or profit from it belongs with the person it came from.

Those who hold this position argue that DNA should not be subject to individual ownership: that a genome is shared with relatives rather than exclusively held, that property rights would create a market in genetic material, and that privacy duties protect people better.