FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Women's Health Leader Lauds House Passage of Genetic Testing Bill, Urges President Bush to Waste No Time Signing It Into Law

Statement of Debra L. Ness, President, National Partnership for Women & Families

WASHINGTON, DC — May 1, 2008 — "Now that both the House and Senate have passed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), our nation may soon realize the promise of genetic research.
 
GINA will, for the first time, establish federal standards to protect the privacy of our genetic information.  It outlaws discrimination based on genetic test results in both insurance and the workplace.  Its enactment will, at long last, give people in this country the assurances they need to get tested to determine if they are at risk for diseases such as diabetes and certain cancers, where prevention can be effective. 

The days when genetic test results can cost us our jobs and our insurance are about to end.  We thank the bill’s champions and the House of Representatives leadership for acting so quickly, and urge President Bush should waste no time in signing this bill into law."

The National Partnership is a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy group dedicated to promoting access to quality health care, fairness in the workplace, and policies that help women and men meet the dual demands of work and family.

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