Biden biden

This past week, the Senate passed a new bill called GINA which stands for the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2007. Senator Biden co-sponsored this bill which was supported by every single senator. The purpose of this bill is to prevent the use of the information obtained through genetic testing for any reason. The bill is designed to prevent the discriminate against Americans in their employment or for their health insurance. It did not mention it but I assume this also applies to all other types of insurance. Senator Biden wants to stimulate the development of genetic testing and research so that science can discover cures of diseases and the prevention of diseases.

I would think that the House will also pass the bill and it will be signed into law by the Presidents signature. Americans need to have the opportunity to obtain genetic testing that may give information that will prolong their lives. This new bill, if it becomes law, will reduce and possibly eliminate the fear that the results of the testing may be used against them if the results are unfavorable. Senator Biden said that “Patients must be able to participate in genetic research or undergo genetic tests without fear that the information revealed will ultimately raise their health premiums or put their job at risk”. I agree with him. And, the most important part is that the insurance companies and employers will not have the ability to require the person to take a genetic test in order to obtain health insurance or get a job.

The other item this week that Senator Biden did was he issued a statement saying he has confirmed that North Korea gave Syria their technology for a nuclear power plant which may allow for the development of nuclear weapons. Senator Biden is the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He has taken the position that the United Stated must maintain existing sanctions against North Korea until they are open to full inspections, they agree to stop selling their nuclear technology, and they close their nuclear plants.

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100007410&docId=l:781775166&start=4