Statement of Senator Barack Obama on the President's Signing of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act

May 21, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement after the President signed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (H.R. 493) into law:

"The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act will protect all Americans from discrimination by insurance companies and employers on the basis of genetics, and I commend the President for signing it into law.

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Senator Barack Obama: Photo by Ryan Glenn (CC)

"This landmark legislation will strengthen our privacy and civil rights protections in this new century of medical breakthroughs.

"Our extraordinary scientific progress has been shadowed by new challenges to our privacy and new threats to our public health. That is why laws like GINA and the Genomics and Personalized Medicine Act must be passed to combat discrimination and spark the vigorous innovation that will lead to cures for deadly diseases.

"I look forward to continuing my work in this area to realize the promise of personalized medicine for all Americans."

Source: Senator Barack Obama