Earlier this week, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D NY) introduced in the House a bill that would prohibit genetic discrimination by insurers and employers (H.R. 493). The bill has 146 co-sponsors and the support of the Coalition for Genetic Fairness. Similar legislation has passed the Senate in recent years. Yesterday, the President expressed his support for such legislation:

I really want to make it clear to the Congress that I hope they pass legislation that makes genetic discrimination illegal. In other words, if a person is willing to share his or her genetic information, it is important that that information not be exploited in improper ways — and Congress can pass good legislation to prevent that from happening. In other words, we want medical research to go forward without an individual fearing of personal discrimination.

This bill has legs as they say on the Hill.