Great news! On Friday, the U.S. Senate passed S.358, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2007 (GINA), by a unanimous vote. The bill would ban the use of genetic testing for the purposes of making health insurance and employment decisions.
If it becomes law, people learning through genetic testing that they might be susceptible to devastating diseases wouldn't also have to worry about losing their jobs or their health insurance.
The bill, described by Sen. Edward Kennedy as "the first major new civil rights bill of the new century," would bar health insurance companies from using genetic information to set premiums or determine enrollment eligibility. Similarly, employers could not use genetic information in hiring, firing or promotion decisions.
A year ago a similar bill, H.R. 493, backed by the White House,already passed the House in a lopsided 420-3 vote. Guess who was one of three congressmen who voted in favor of genetic discrimination.
That's right: the extremist representative from the Sixth Congressional District of Arizona, out-of-touch, out-of-step Jeff Flake.
Now the House needs to vote again on this issue, possibly as early as this week.
Will wrong-for-America, wrong-for-Arizona uncaring elitist Rep. Jeff Flake once again prove to be the oddball who votes for genetic discrimination?
House staffers have reportedly heard Rep. Flake muttering, "If their genes don't fit, let's treat them like shit," so we can make an educated guess...
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