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The National Workrights Institute Endorses S. 306
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2005
The National Workrights Institute fully endorses S. 306- the Genetic
Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2005 and urges the full Senate
to pass this important legislation.During the past several decades, our understanding of genetics has multiplied as procedures for identifying, analyzing and manipulating DNA have advanced. Among the many benefits of this growth in genetic technology are the ways they may influence preventive health, reproductive planning and eventually therapies to cure illnesses with a genetic component. While no one can deny that this knowledge may be a blessing in finding cures to diseases with genetic origins, including Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and many forms of cancer, the immediate consequences of such advances have lead to a number of forms of individual discrimination. The ability to identify individuals based on genetic characteristics necessarily predates the ability to use this information in the treatment of the corresponding diseases. Furthermore, genetic information only indicates a predisposition or susceptibility to future illness; such information does not indicate when an individual will develop symptoms or how severe the symptoms will be. In fact, many people who test positive for genetic mutations associated with certain conditions will never develop those conditions at all. Many individuals identified as having a hereditary condition are, indeed, healthy. For example, take the case of Christine Demark, a sales representative with an exemplary record. She was fired when her employer found out that she was at risk for Huntington’s disease. The employer had been notified by a co-worker of Christine’s that she had been going to the required counseling before undergoing testing. Subsequently, she was demoted to a customer service position and eventually fired because of this testing. As the cost of testing rapidly declines and the number of conditions that can be tested increases, genetic testing may become as common as drug testing is today. The National Workrights Institute urges the full United States Senate to pass S. 306 to protect the American people from the very real threat of genetic discrimination and so that the benefits of advances in genetic research can be fully realized. Jeremy Gruber, Legal Director |
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The National Workrights Institute
166 Wall Street, Princeton, NJ 08540
(609) 683 0313
info@workrights.org
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