Can Human Genes Be Patented?

The Supreme Court has ruled in a case that many Christians likely find laughable. In a unanimous decision, the court ruled that human genes cannot be patented.

The decision strikes down patents held by Myriad Genetics Inc. on two human genes linked to an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers.

The company isolated the genes and patented them, something a lower court approved saying Myraiad's genes could be patented because the DNA it isolated and took from the body has a "markedly different chemical structure" from DNA found naturally within the body.

Justice Clarence Thomas said "I don't think so," writing that DNA is a product of nature and not eligible for a patent merely because it has been isolated.

Beltway Buzz is certain the rights to human genes are already spoken for without any approval by the U.S. Patent Office or Supreme Court.