Sickle cell testing of athletes stirs discrimination fears

While less known than the infamous Tuskegee syphilis experiment, for decades blacks were stigmatized by sickle cell because they carried it far more commonly than whites, marking them as supposedly genetically inferior, barring them from jobs, the military, insurance and even discouraging them from marrying and having children. “This amounts to a massive genetic screening program, with tens of thousands being screened,” said Troy Duster, a professor of sociology at New York University who studies the racial implications of science. “This could have an extraordinarily heavy impact on black athletes. You are going to be picking out these kids and saying, ‘You are going to be scrutinized more closely than anyone else.’ That’s worrisome.” — Washington Post