Passage of Bill to Ban Genetic Discrimination a Victory for All Families
- May 6, 2008 - comment
In a major victory for every American, lawmakers bucked partisan politics last week to approve legislation barring employers and health insurance providers from discriminating against individuals and families based on their genetic information.
Congress bridged, at least temporarily, its seemingly widening political divide by overwhelmingly passing the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) by a 95-0 vote in the Senate on April 24, followed by a 414-1 in the House on May 1. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), whose bid for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination has earned him widespread name recognition, was the lone dissenter.
Increasingly, people are undergoing testing to screen for genetic links to ailments including heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, and certain forms of cancer. Early detection arms doctors with the necessary information to prescribe proper medications to prevent or forestall the onset of such illnesses. These detections can literally saves lives.
Still, the potential that an employer and health insurance provider could make hiring, firing and insurance coverage decisions based on genetic information has prompted many individuals to forego such tests. Some prefer to gamble with their health rather than with their jobs or insurance coverage. An insurance company, for example, could legally raise premiums on a woman who is found to have a gene linked to breast cancer. But GINA should lay these fears to rest.
The legislation also quells a significant pro-life concern of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission that protection against discrimination based on genetic deficiencies might not be extended to the smallest among us. Thanks to the efforts of Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), the bill includes an amendment prohibiting discrimination against individuals and families whose unborn children or children being adopted are revealed to have genetic predisposition toward certain diseases. Without this provision, parents could be compelled, for instance, to abort their unborn baby diagnosed with Down’s syndrome rather than stand the chance of their insurance company dropping coverage.
ERLC President Richard Land lauded the passage of GINA in a May 2 press release.
“I applaud the Congress, both Senate and House, for passing this extremely important legislation to protect the privacy of the genetic information of each individual human being. No one should be discriminated against in this society based upon his or her genetic makeup or any genetic markers for debilitating illnesses,” he said.
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act should be welcomed by all. Sadly, it took a surprising 13 years to ripen, having been first introduced in 1995. Congress would do well to set aside its differences more often to act on principle for the benefit of every individual and family.
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission works to monitor issues of public policy in America, such as the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. If you would like to help us continue our efforts, please click here.
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