Blaine Bettinger, aka The Genetic Genealogist, has a two-part discussion on his blog about the ethics of DNA banking.
Personally, I'm for it. You might think that's because of my borderline obsession with genetic genealogy -- and that's definitely a factor. But I'm more interested in what might be possible medically in the not-too-distant future -- and how having access to our DNA samples from today might be able to help future generations with health issues.
Yes, there's a matter of ethics. I was confronted with this situation last year when we learned my mother was terminally ill. Fortunately, she consented to providing a DNA sample which I then banked.
Blaine's discussion focuses more on the recently departed -- banking services offered by funeral homes and so forth. But what his postings really bring home to me is that I should bank my own DNA sample (along with information about where it's being kept) so that survivors are not left to wrestle with this ethical issue. I've got a will and my husband and I are in the midst of trying to purchase a cemetery plot (an activity I'm hoping proves to be wildly premature) -- so now there's one more item for the to-do list.