Professional Ethics for Practitioners of Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG)

Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG) combines within it all the ethical issues involved in forensic laboratory science, the use of forensic DNA, the ethics of consumer genomics and ancestry determination, the genetic analysis of traits, as well as the possible discovery of unsettling information that may accompany any genealogical research. FIGG poses new ethical issues even in addition to these. This chapter focuses on emerging norms as embodied in professional codes of ethics, practice standards, and policies that are being developed to guide the ethical practitioner of FIGG. The discussion of professional ethics is organized within a broader framework of the key values that underlie the professional standards: individual autonomy, privacy, human dignity, and the need for high standards of professional integrity, competence, and quality of the genealogical work product. These fundamental values and goals serve as a good compass to guide the ethical practitioner of FIGG and help to resolve the ethical dilemmas that practitioners may encounter during FIGG investigations.