Virtually all of the approaches to return of ES/WGS results currently being studied focus on testing in European American (EA) populations. Little effort has been made to consider how the perceived potential benefits and possible harms of ES/WGS results might differ in populations who have been historically at the margins of genomics—despite the fact that ES has been completed on thousands of samples from populations other than EAs. Yet, evidence suggests that preferences for genetic test results, the interpretation of clinical utility, and the impact of receiving results differ among racial and ethnic groups [Butrick et al., 2011; Forman and Hall, 2009; Rahm et al., 2012]. Moreover, there is general consensus that, as a matter of social justice, all populations should have equal access and opportunity to benefit from ES/WGS and explicit efforts should be undertaken to reduce or eliminate barriers to accessing ES/WGS testing and maximize the potential benefits and minimize the harms of ES/WGS [Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, 2012].
