The international Human Genome Project (HGP) will rapidly make genetic information available on a worldwide scale previously impossible to imagine. All adults have a right, if they so choose, to know their genetic makeup and implications for the health of their potential offspring, to be educated about their own genetics, and to have the services available to act upon their knowledge.

The HGP, while not raising generically new ethical issues in medicine, exacerbates old ones, especially in regard to equitable access to genetic services, privacy, disclosure of genetic information, and freedom of reproductive choices. The HGP holds great promise for advances in human health but has also increased the public's concerns about genetics. To allay these concerns, to protect people and families with genetic disabilities, and to promote international cooperation, it is timely to discuss ethical issues in medical genetics and to propose guidelines on complex ethical issues for the providers of genetic services.