The Myths Of DNA

DNA has emerged as a powerful, yet controversial, tool in criminal investigations, health care, and identification systems. Vermont now collects DNA samples from all convicted felons, and there have been calls to expand collections to include anyone arrested on suspicion of a crime. Vermont also recently passed an “innocence protection” law, which relies largely on DNA to prove a convicted felon’s innocence.

The speaker at the ACLU-VT's 2008 annual meeting, Tania Simoncelli, addressed the many issues surrounding DNA. Ms. Simoncell is science advisor in the Technology & Liberty Program of the American Civil Liberties Union national office in New York. She advises ACLU leadership and staff on critical developments in science and technology and their implications for civil liberties, with an emphasis on genetics and neuroscience.

In addition, she speaks and publishes on a broad range of science policy issues, including the expanding uses of DNA by law enforcement, human behavioral genetics research, emerging uses of functional MRI for lie detection, the ethics of human experimentation, and scientific and academic freedom.

You can watch a video of Ms. Simoncelli's talk below. Click the button in the center of the screen.. Once the video loads onto the screen, click the button at the bottom left to begin the video. Stop the video using the same button. Move forward or backward in the video by sliding the button in the bar under the screen.

Also available for video viewing -- panel discussion at the ACLU-VT 2007 annual meeting, “40 Years of Protecting Civil Liberties in Vermont.”