Civil rights meets biotechnology in a instructional activity that scrutinizes the collection of DNA of citizens who have been arrested, but not yet convicted of a crime. Real-life cases are examined in which the DNA of a relative was used to identify a criminal, a law enforcement search went on unnecessarily due to a contaminated DNA sample, and a man wrongfully imprisoned for 19 years was exonerated via DNA analysis. Use this instructional activity to spur a passionate bioethics debate.

Concepts

dna, deoxyribonucleic acid, bioethics, biotechnology, forensics, civil rights, human rights, civics

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Additional Tags

civil rights, bioethics, dna, forensics, biotechnology, social studies

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Pros

• Current articles, a slide show, and a video effectively set the stage for class discussion
• Meets Common Core State Standards for high school literacy in history and social studies
• Lesson plan is written in detail for ease of implementation

Cons

• None

Common Core

RH.9-10.6 RH.11-12.3 RH.11-12.6 RH.11-12.7