GATTACA is still pertinent 25 years later

It has been 25 years since the release of GATTACA, a film that tells the story of a credible near future in which society's inequalities, formerly associated with race and class, have been replaced with new prejudices based on genetic determinism. Here we compare GATTACA's fictional technologies with reality's state of the art, assessing the legal protections afforded in today's society against GATTACA's dystopian future in which personal freedom and privacy rights are substantially curtailed by genomic innovations. We further discuss how GATTACA's prescient forewarnings are still relevant today in light of the current trajectory of genomic science and technology.

Automated summary

GATTACA, a film released 25 years ago, portrays a credible near future where societal inequalities based on race and class have been replaced by new prejudices arising from genetic determinism. This article compares the fictional technologies in GATTACA with the current state of the art, examining the legal protections against the dystopian future portrayed in the film, where personal freedom and privacy rights are greatly curtailed by genomic innovations. It further discusses the continued relevance of GATTACA's prescient warnings in light of the ongoing advancements in genomic science and technology.