Cliff Stearns: “I rise in support of the Archer/Bliley bill because I believe the issue of genetic privacy is of tremendous importance.…”

“I rise in support of the Archer/Bliley bill because I believe the issue of genetic privacy is of tremendous importance. I introduced H.R. 2690, the Genetic Privacy and Nondiscrimination Act of 1995. My bill would ban discrimination based on a person's genetic profile. I wish to acknowledge my colleague and good friend Representative Joe Kennedy who is helping me on the other side of the aisle. He and I are working together on this bill. With new forms of genetic testing able to reveal an individual's likelihood of contracting a number of diseases, the possibility arises that employers and health insurers could use that information to discriminate. This is a civil rights issue. People who are already at risk due to their genetic makeup shouldn't have to worry about the additional hardship of losing their job or health insurance. Like a companion bill introduced by Senators Mark Hatfield and Connie Mack, H.R. 2690 would also ban the disclosure of genetic information by anyone without the written authorization of the individual. This safeguard would protect the privacy of individuals who would rather their genetic information be kept private.”