Fw: [NewsLinks] Sign on letter - also, please forward!

[Guest guest]

Sign on letter - also, please forward!

[NewsLinks] Sign on letter - also, please forward!

Dear Friends,

We would like you to sign on to a letter we will be delivering to the House of

Representatives on April 1, 2004 during our press conference on genetic

nondiscrimination. In this letter, we urge the House to consider and pass the

Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act [s. 1053], to prohibit discrimination

on the basis of genetic information with respect to health insurance and

employment.

We invite both individuals to sign on for their organizations or as individuals.

If you would like to sign on - please send your name, affiliation, city and

state to Bitter: mbitter@.... Your support is critical

- let's build momentum and get this bill passed into law! Please forward this

to other organizations, genetics and health professionals!

The letter follows.

Best,

Sharon

*************

Sharon Terry, MA

President and CEO

Genetic Alliance

4301 Connecticut Avenue, NW

Suite 404

Washington, DC 20008-2369

Voice: x213

Fax:

Email: sterry@...

Web: http://www.geneticalliance.org

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 1, 2004

The Honorable J. Dennis Hastert

Speaker

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Speaker Hastert,

We urge you to consider and pass the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act

[s. 1053], to prohibit discrimination on the basis of genetic information with

respect to health insurance and employment. This bill was passed unanimously

(95-0) in the Senate last year, is strongly supported by the President and

currently sits at the desk in the House.

We believe that all genetic information, including family history, deserves

strong and enforceable protections against misuse in health insurance and

employment. Such safeguards will protect the rights, privacy and

confidentiality of the individual and their family.

This is an exciting and hopeful time for genetic medicine. It is imperative,

however, that we, the public, be able to take full advantage of new medical

advances that could help prevent disease before it develops. Genetic

nondiscrimination legislation will reduce the likelihood of genetic information

being misused in health insurance or employment decision-making. Genetic

information is merely predictive information. Simply having a positive genetic

test does not mean one will develop a disease -- thus this information should

not be used to make decisions about insurance coverage or employment.

As biomedical research advances, genetic testing will become a critical tool in

the provision of healthcare. As a result, many more people will know about

their own genetic makeup, putting them at risk of genetic discrimination. These

issues will affect you, your family members, neighbors and colleagues. We

urgently request that you pass a genetic nondiscrimination bill that truly

protects all of us from that risk now and into the future.

Thank you for all your hard work and efforts on this critical issue. We look

forward to continuing to work with you to ensure that the Genetic Information

Nondiscrimination Act passes and can be signed by the President this year.

Sincerely,

Sharon F. Terry, MA

President/CEO, Genetic Alliance

And...