Political Quotes

“I yield myself 3 minutes. Obviously I rise in strong support of H.R. 493. I think it has been an honor to work with the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter) and, I might add, work we did. When the Human Genome Project was completed in 2003, the House of Representatives recognized it as ``one of the most significant scientific accomplishments of the past 100 years.'' For the first time, individuals actually could know their genetic risk of developing disorders such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and they could take preventative measures to decrease their risks. It spawned a personalized medicine movement, focusing on catching diseases earlier, when they are cheaper and easier to treat or, even better, preventing the onset of the disease in the first place. But after investing more than $3.7 billion in taxpayer money to achieve this breakthrough, Congress walked away and left the job unfinished. We left people without any assurance that their genetic information would not be used against them. So, understandably, they avoided this great technology, never realizing the untold health benefits and savings. This concern even spilled over into NIH, where a fear of genetic discrimination is currently the most commonly cited reason for not participating in research on potentially lifesaving genetic testing for breast cancer and colon cancer.…”