Abstract

Self-ownership—the idea that individuals own their bodies and what comes from them—has profoundly shaped moral and legal understandings of personal rights. Often framed in absolute terms, self-ownership is assumed to confer exclusive control. However, bodies and the resources they generate connect individuals to others in ways that create claims, dependencies, and responsibilities that cannot be captured by an atomistic view of self-ownership. This Article addresses this shortcoming by introducing the concept of “relational self-ownership,” which posits obligations to others—both moral and legal. The Article uses the sphere of genetics to showcase the importance of this novel conceptualization of self-ownership. With rapid technological advancement in genetics, a pressing question emerges: should genetic material and information be treated as exclusively owned, or does the shared nature of these resources impose legal obligations that curtail individual control in favor of family members and the broader community? Influenced by the prevailing, atomistic view of self-ownership, genetic material and information are increasingly treated as strictly private property. However, applying the lens of relational self-ownership, this Article introduces the concept of “genetic reciprocity” and identifies moral and legal obligations to contribute genetic material and information toward the development of a universal genomic biobank and database, as well as the duty to disclose genetic risks to close genetic relatives.

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