Profs. Rothstein featured in ABA publication

The research of Brandeis Law Professors Laura Rothstein and Mark Rothstein is featured prominently in an American Bar Association publication. 

"The Use of Genetic Information in Real Property Transactions" is the lead article in the May/June 2017 issue of Probate and Property, the publication of the ABA's Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section.

"With the cost of genome sequencing continuing to decline and genomic information becoming more common in health records, it is foreseeable that entities with an economic interest in the future health status of individuals will be tempted to use predictive genetic information to assess the health risks of individuals who are parties to real property transactions," the article states.

"Thus, mortgage lenders, mortgage insurers, real estate sellers, senior living centers, retirement communities, and other entities involved in residential property might begin requiring genetic information as part of the application process. This article considers whether the use of genetic information in housing is lawful under federal and state laws. It also considers the ethical and policy issues raised by the acquisition and use of predictive genetic infor- mation in residential property transactions."

Probate and Property is distributed to the section's 17,000 members, in addition to about 6,000 other constituents.