Today, the Senate passed, 95-0, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). The Parkinson’s Action Network (PAN) applauds the passage of GINA, which will prohibit discrimination on the basis of genetic information with respect to health insurance and employment. This legislation is necessary to protect the rights of all Americans, including people living with or at risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. The House of Representatives is expected to take up the same bill shortly.
To read PAN’s letter of support to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, please read below.
April 17, 2008
The Honorable Harry Reid
528 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator Reid,
On behalf of the entire Parkinson’s community, the Parkinson’s Action Network (PAN) supports your efforts to pass the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. Enactment of this legislation is necessary to protect the rights of all Americans, including people living with or at risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, regardless of their genetic predisposition.
As the field of personalized medicine grows and the use of genetic screening and therapies based on genetics becomes more commonplace, it is necessary to ensure that Americans with genetic factors that may lead to disease are not subject to discriminatory action by health insurers and employers. The nearly weekly discovery of genetic links to disease will greatly aid the development of much-needed new and better treatments for millions of Americans, including the more than one million people living with Parkinson’s disease, a portion of whom carry the genetic form of the disease. However, such genetic information must be protected.
PAN supports enactment of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act that will protect the genetic past of Americans from being misused to influence hiring practices or health coverage decisions. The protections provided for by this bill are important to both individuals already living with disease and healthy individuals with genetic risk factors because these protections ensure fair use of emerging medical technologies and maintain the rights to personal privacy for all Americans.
Thank you for your leadership to ensure the protection of individual’s genetic information. If you or your staff would like to discuss this matter further, please do not hesitate to contact Mary McGuire Richards, Deputy CEO, at (202)-638-4101 ext. 103. As always, the Parkinson's community sincerely appreciates your efforts to help ease the burden and find a cure for Parkinson's disease.
Sincerely,
Amy Comstock Rick
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