NDP MOVES TO OUTLAW GENETIC DISCRIMINATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 14, 2010

NDP MOVES TO OUTLAW GENETIC DISCRIMINATION

OTTAWA -- New Democrat Health Critic Judy Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North) today introduced a bill in Parliament to prohibit discrimination on the grounds of a person`s genetic characteristics.

“This bill will stop Canadians’ personal genetic information from being used against them,” says Wasylycia-Leis. “Employers, insurance companies and others have already begun to discriminate against people based on their genetic make-up. People are being punished in fundamental ways -- like being prevented from earning a living or buying a house -- for something they have no control over. That’s unfair and this bill will update the Canadian Human Rights Act to deal with this 21st century problem.”

Health-conscious Canadians are increasingly testing for genetic clues so they can take steps to avoid diseases or conditions to which they may have a genetic pre-disposition. Their reward should be better health, but the information is increasingly being used to exclude people from job opportunities and limit access to mortgages and insurance benefits. There’s currently nothing to prevent insurance companies and others from demanding test results and basing decisions on them.

“Unless genetic test results are protected,” says Wasylycia-Leis, “there’s a real danger that Canadians will just refuse to be tested, putting their health at risk.”

“To make matters worse, Canadians are now being bombarded with ads for unregulated commercial genetic testing. The results may be questionable and, without professional counselling, may lead to unwarranted concern or inappropriate decisions – and the results can still be used to discriminate against them.”

Wasylycia-Leis’s bill has the support of the Canadian Coalition for Genetic Fairness, an alliance of 15 advocacy and service organizations dedicated to preventing genetic discrimination in Canada.