Political Quotes

“I rise once again today to speak on the critical issue of genetic discrimination and to proudly join my colleagues, Senators Snowe, Jeffords, Collins, Enzi, DeWine, Hagel, and Gregg in introducing the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2002. The threat of genetic discrimination, both in the workplace and with respect to health insurance coverage, is one of the most troublesome Congress faces. As our scientific knowledge has improved, the threat of discrimination has increased. As a physician, as a medical researcher, and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Public Health, I have a long and deep interest in this issue, and I believe we have a unique responsibility to ensure that medical and scientific progress does not result in individual harm. For example, I am deeply troubled by reports of women declining genetic testing out of fear that they may lose their health insurance, even though a genetic test might reveal that a woman is not at high risk and therefore allow her to make more informed health care choices.”