[Cushman]

The issue I have with all this is-- in what sense is my DNA not public information?

1) Intellectual property in general is considered to be things that I, you know, thought of; my genetic code is the result of a physical process between my parents that I had absolutely no input into. If anyone owns it, they do. Of course, it was a derivative product of their genetic code, which they really had no claim to in the first place.

2) I leave complete copies of my DNA lying around everywhere I go, and on everything I touch. Maybe not in quantities that can be sequenced, yet, but it's there. Granted that I have ownership (and then some) over my own body, does that really continue to apply to the bits I discard in your foyer without noticing or caring?

I understand there are political issues that transcend this, but it feels like a case where politics is fighting a losing battle against physics.