TODAY'S NEWS & VIEWS

"Today's News & Views" is an exciting daily feature, a welcome addition to the wealth of material found on the National Right to Life's web page.  "Today's News & Views" is written in a style that appeals not only to committed pro-lifers but to anyone with an open mind on the greatest social justice issue of our day: abortion.  "Today's News & Views" will cover the waterfront.  One day, the web surfer will find a commentary on a recent prime-time television program, the next day a book review, the day after that notice of a new pro-life video, the day after that added details that go beyond that found in stories written for the National Right to Life News--"the right to life newspaper of record."  The goal is to make the contents of "Today's News & Views" so interesting that visitors will bookmark the page [www.nrlc.org] and make visits a regular part of their day.
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Today's News & Views
May 9, 2008
 
   




 

  

    
Congress Passes Bill to Ban Genetic Discrimination
after Adding Pro-Life Language

WASHINGTON (May 8, 2008)--Congress gave final approval in early May to landmark legislation to ban genetic discrimination by employers and health insurance providers.

President Bush is expected to soon sign the legislation, the Genetic Information Non-discrimination Act (GINA) (H.R. 493).

The legislation has been under consideration in Congress for more than a decade. Until recently, it contained certain defects that made it impossible for the National Right to Life Committee and other pro-life groups to support it. But those defects were corrected in the current Congress due in large part to the work of Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Mi.), the co-chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus, resulting in a final bill that substantially advances pro-life interests.

The main thrust of the GINA is to ban discrimination in employment or health insurance on the basis of tests that show a person's genetic makeup. Advocates for the bill argued that as genetic information and testing becomes more prevalent, employers and health insurance providers would be increasingly likely to use that information to discriminate against persons with genetic predispositions to costly and debilitating diseases.

However, for years the legislation contained a fatal flaw--it defined "family member" to exclude unborn children.

Specifically, the original bill said that "the term 'family member' means with respect to an individual ... a dependent child of the individual, including a child who is born to or placed for adoption with the individual" [emphasis added]. This definition left unborn children, their mothers, and their entire families at risk of discrimination if the mother refused to undergo an abortion at the request of her employer or health insurance provider.

The risk of such discrimination is very real. In 1998, Jeremy Gruber, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union, raised this concern in testimony before the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee. For example, he said, "Consider further the pregnant woman whose fetus tested positive for cystic fibrosis and whose managed-care health plan limited coverage for her pregnancy and future child while offering full coverage should she choose an abortion.

Prenatal genetic testing is becoming increasingly common. In fact, in January 2007 the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) issued guidelines recommending prenatal screening for Down Syndrome for all pregnant women, and some studies show that when women receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome, as many as nine out of ten abort. Already women who receive test results showing a possible disability are pressured to abort. The pressure to abort would become even more powerful if a decision not to abort places a job in jeopardy or a health insurance company threatens to withdraw health benefits.

Similar concerns arise in the context of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Some IVF practitioners already employ "preimplantation genetic diagnosis" (PGD) to eliminate embryos who carry genes that will produce future disorders--a practice that would become more widespread if insurance companies could demand such tests as a condition to funding the IVF process.

Recognizing these serious defects in the original GINA bill, Congressman Stupak last year announced his intention to offer a pro-life amendment in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. This led to an extended negotiation between Congressman John Dingell (D-Mi.), who is the powerful chairman of the committee, GINA prime sponsor Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), and Stupak.

Eventually an agreement was reached that addressed the full scope of the pro-life concerns. The agreed-on language was inserted into the bill, and was retained throughout the rest of the legislative process.

Under the negotiated language, the final bill prohibits employers and insurers from discriminating against a woman or her family on the basis of genetic information about "any fetus carried by such pregnant woman." For example, it would be unlawful for an insurer to exert financial pressure on a mother to abort an unborn child who prenatal testing revealed to have a serious genetic disorder.

Likewise, the negotiated language prohibits discrimination on the basis of genetic information about "any embryo legally held by the individual or family member."

In addition, the final bill provides full protection for any child who has been placed for adoption, even if the adoption has not been finalized.

Deirdre McQuade, an official with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, praised the legislation for extending protection against discrimination to "some of the most vulnerable members of the human family, whether born, yet to be born, or placed for adoption."

"No one should be discriminated against on the basis of genetic testing," McQuade said.

NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson explained that NRLC had resisted earlier versions of the GINA, but was pleased to support the legislation after the addition of the changes negotiated by Congressman Stupak. The final bill, he said, "provides some very important protections for all Americans who believe that the 'pick of the litter' approach should not be applied to human beings."

ARCHIVES

May 2008
Congress Passes Bill to Ban Genetic Discriminationafter Adding Pro-Life Language -- May 9, 2008
Defending the Weakest Against the Misuse of "Science" -- May 8, 2008
The Day After North Carolina and Indiana -- May 7, 2008
Sen. McCain Explains His Judicial Philosophy -- May 6, 2008
Obama "Brought Back to Earth"? Hardly -- May 5, 2008
An Update on Haleigh Poutre:  She Continues to Improve -- May 2, 2008
A Radio Program You Should Listen To -- May 1, 2008

April 2008
A Two-Sided Truth -- April 30, 2008
India's Prime Minister Denounces Sex-Selection Abortion -- April 29, 2008
Obama Continues to Deny Militant Pro-Abortion Record -- April 28, 2008
The Critical Importance of Registering to Vote -- April 25, 2008
Cloning Proponents Rethinking Support -- April 24, 2008
Pro-Abortion Democrats Continue to Spar With No End in Sight -- April 23, 2008
"He Is Supposed to be Here With Us" -- April 22, 2008
Some Reflections on Pope Benedict XVI's Visit -- April 21, 2008
Peeking Behind the Curtain: A Look at the Real Barack Obama -- April 18, 2008
Oklahomans Override Governor's Veto -- April 17, 2008
Select Quotations on Life Issues from His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI &
the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
-- April 16, 2008
Obama's Teflon Wearing Thin -- April 15, 2008
"Winning the Hearts and Minds of United Methodists" -- April 14, 2008
Abortion: The Price of Illiteracy  -- April 11, 2008
As Embryonic Stem Cell Research Continues to be Fruitless, Alternatives to ESC Proliferate -- April 10, 2008
"At All Times, This Won't be Pleasant" -- April 9, 2008
Doctors' Conscientious Objection to Abortion Threatened -- April 8, 2008
Charlton Heston, RIP -- April 7, 2008
Vietnam Man Provides Crisis Pregnancy Help -- April 4, 2008
Pro-Life Perspective and Apple's iTunes -- April 3, 2007
"A Window Into His Soul" -- April 2, 2008
Teflon Candidate Continues to Test Public's Tolerance for Ghastly Remarks -- April 1, 2008

March 2008
"Everything Old is New Again" -- March 31, 2008
A Great Way to End the Week -- March 28, 2008
Watching Pro-Life Young People Make the Case for Life -- March 27, 2008
Pro-Abortionists Blog to Protect Obama -- March 26, 2008
Kevorkian, Ultrasounds, and Inmate Abortions -- March 25, 2008
"Not a Saint, Just a Parent" -- March 24, 2008
California Boy with Cerebral Palsy Improves after Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplant -- March 21,2008
South Dakota Governor Signs Ultrasound Bill -- March 20, 2008
Canadian Study Treats Multiple Sclerosis with Adult Stem Cells -- March 19, 2008
More About the Connection Between Abortion and Depression -- March 18, 2008
The Siren Call of Barack Obama (Part 2) -- March 17, 2008
The Siren Call of Barack Obama (Part 1)  -- March 14, 2008
Free Speech for Canadian Pro-Lifers -- March 13, 2008
Spitzer and Abortion -- March 12, 2008
Frenzy-Bordering-on-Hysteria -- March 11, 2008
Moving Beyond the Prevailing Idea  -- March 10, 2008
Wisconsin Right to Life's Teen Leaders Testify for Life -- March 7, 2008
The "Best" People -- March 6, 2008
After Last Night -- March 5, 2008
"Friday Night Lights" And the Two Most Important Things -- March 4, 2008
Will We See a New Narrative After Tuesday's Results? -- March 3, 2008

February 2008
Virginia Senate Votes to Cut Off Funding to Planned Parenthood -- February 29, 2008
20th Debate Offers Another Revealing Glimpse Of Senator Obama -- February 28, 2008
William F. Buckley, Jr., R.I.P. -- February 27, 2008
Corrupting Everything It Touches -- February 26, 2008
Out of the Mouths of Babes -- February 25, 2008
Wisconsin Pro-Aborts Take Aim at State Abortion Law  -- February 22, 2008
"The Most Persuasive Anti-Abortion Argument" Ever? -- February 21, 2008
Another Patient "Awakens" -- February 20, 2008
Some Reflections on Presidents' Day -- February 19, 2008
Narcissism on Steroids -- February 18, 2008
An Understandable Reaction, A Tragic Response -- February 15, 2008
"Dandy Kids" Embrace Life Despite Challenges -- February 14, 2008
A "No-Brainer" Indeed -- February 13, 2008
Abortion, Euthanasia, and the New Research on Pain & Consciousness -- February 12, 2008
The Charmed Circle & The First Ache -- February 11, 2008
A Season of Questions and Answers -- February 8, 2008
Romney Withdraws -- February 7, 2008
Presidential Contests Still Unclear After Super Tuesday -- February 6, 2008
66 babies in a year left to die after abortions "go wrong" in Great Britain -- February 5, 2008
A Look Ahead to Tuesday and Much More -- February 4, 2008
Improving Survival Rates for Premature Infants in Great Britain -- February 1, 2008

January 2008
An Update on Politics, RU486,
and the Powerfully Pro-Life Observations of Pope Benedict XVI
 -- January 31, 2008

What Last Night's Results Tell Us -- January 30, 2008
A Closer Look At Sen. Obama's Position On Abortion -- January 29, 2008
Pro-Abortionists Struggle to "Regain the Moral High Ground" -- January 28, 2008
Answering to a Higher Authority -- January 25, 2008
The Real Lessons of "Juno" -- January 24, 2008
"A Cause Rooted in Human Dignity and Appealing to the Best Instincts of
the American People Cannot Fail"
-- January 23, 2008

Stirring a New Generation of Pro-Life Activists -- January 22, 2008
"Only when it's dark enough can you see the stars"  -- January 21, 2008
Pity the Pro-abortionist -- January 18, 2008
Wonderfully Encouraging News: Number of Abortions at Lowest Level Since 1976 -- January 17, 2007
Who Could Argue With That?  -- January 16, 2008
Raising the Ante -- January 15, 2008
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" -- January 14, 2008
A Friday Potpourri -- January 11, 2008
Shameless and Oblivious as Ever -- January 10, 2008
Elections 2008: Can It Get Any More Unpredictable? -- January 9, 2008
Looking Ahead to Tonight -- January 8, 2008
"I Can't Wait to Meet You" -- January 7, 2008
About Thursday Night…. -- January 4, 2008
Imminent Threat Needs Grassroots Response -- January 3, 2008
DECISION 2008 -- January 2, 2008

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