This week on Radio Civil Liberties, Congress and the president enacted the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). GINA is a groundbreaking step toward securing civil liberties in the emerging field of medical technology as well as a landmark victory for those fighting to ensure civil rights in American workplaces.
By providing national guidelines for health insurers, employers and states about how to use information about potential illnesses or medical conditions acquired by genetic tests, the new law safeguards workers from discrimination. Our first report comes to us from NPR, and brings us an interview with Rebecca Fisher, a breast cancer survivor concerned about her daughter's ability to be screened and treated for the disease and still protect her personal medical information. This segment was followed by an interview with Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), the bill's main sponsor. Rep. Slaughter talks about genetic discrimination and the Bill— she first proposed the legislation some 13 years ago. More from the ACLU is Here.
In our final segment this week, we revisit the inequities of the Rockefeller-era Drug Laws. Enacted in 1973, the Rockefeller Drug Laws mandate extremely harsh prison terms for the possession or sale of relatively small amounts of drugs. Supposedly intended to target drug kingpins, most of the people incarcerated under these laws are convicted of low-level, nonviolent offenses, and many of them have no prior criminal record.
We hears the heartbreaking and inspring story of Elaine Bartlett, author of "Life on the Outside". Bartlett was sentenced under the Rockefeller Drug Laws for carrying one four ounce package, equivalent to the weight of a bottle of nail polish, of cocaine from New York City to Albany, New York. She spent sixteen years in prison before she was granted clemency by New York Governor George Pataki. The Rockefeller Drug Laws have neither curbed drug use nor enhanced public safety. Instead, they have ruined thousands of lives and annually wasted millions in tax dollars in prison costs, Our lawmakers must act now to end these inhumane and unjust laws and restore judicial discretion to drug sentencing.
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This week's Music from
Immortal Technique, Bad Religion, Elvis Costello, Devo and David Bowie
PSA's from Marriage Equality First, the ACLU and the ACLU of Montana
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