By the Associated Press in the Wall Street Journal (with Reuters video):

President Bush on Wednesday signed legislation to protect people from losing their jobs or health insurance when genetic testing reveals they are susceptible to costly diseases.

Broadly embraced in Congress, the antidiscrimination measure aims to ensure that advances in DNA testing won’t end up being used against people.

The new law forbids employers and insurance companies from denying employment, promotions or health coverage to people when genetic tests show they have a predisposition to cancer, heart disease or other ailments.

“It protects our citizens from having our genetic information misused,” the president said.

Sponsors of the legislation call it a groundbreaking protection of civil rights.

From USA Today: Your genes, your privacy. The bill is …

a crucial step forward. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., one of the chief sponsors, calls it the first civil rights legislation of the new century, and he’s right. Congress often acts long after civil rights abuses have become intolerable and widespread; in this case, lawmakers are ahead of the curve.

By Rep. Louise Slaughter, writing in the Rochester [N.Y.] Democrat and Chronicle: Genetic discrimination ban will improve healthcare.

By freeing Americans from fear, [the legislation] will make genetic testing commonplace, allowing the full potential of genetic research to be realized. The enactment of GINA will open the door to a whole new era of health care and in doing so will change the course of human history.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 at 11:36 am and is filed under discrimination, genetics, law, NOT2BEMISSED, politics, privacy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.