Healthcare Lobbying Research Paper

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The Legislative Process and Healthcare Lobbying Hope E. Jenkinson, RN Ohio University The Legislative Process and Healthcare Lobbying The purpose of this paper is to discuss the legislative process and healthcare lobbying. This paper will discuss the political issue of genetic testing. It will explore arguments of both those for the issue and those against it. I will share my opinion on this particular political issue. In addition, this paper will also display a mock letter to Senator Keith Faber, in which I will attempt to sway him to my opinion. Part 1 Legislative Process Anyone can have an idea for a new law, however, they must give this idea, or bill, to their congress representative in order for it to start the process of becoming a law …show more content…

One of these issues is the moral and ethical issue of genetic testing. Genetic testing is a controversial topic that affects patients, fetus to adult. For the sake of keeping this article from being too broad, I will focus on prenatal and fetal genetic testing. Proponents of genetic testing argue that it is a form of preventative medicine, allowing the parents to be prepared or make decisions about a child before the child is born. They may point out that with knowledge of defects or disabilities while child is in utero, medical staff can be ready to act immediately at birth to save the infants life. Place states that genetic testing gives prospective parents a choice in having a child with a disability or birth defect (as cited in Farrelly, et al., 2012). Malik points out that …show more content…

At this time, we do not have the capabilities to alter or remove bad genes from gametes or embryos, but once we do, this will enable us to fix the genetic problem before the child is fully formed and will hopefully decrease the need for termination or birth of children with life threatening disabilities (Malik, 2014). I am concerned with how easily genetic testing could be abused as we cultivate a better understanding of it. In order to prevent this, I believe strict and thorough laws need to be put and kept in place to prevent genetic discrimination and non-therapeutic genetic alterations. I do feel that the pros of genetic testing outweigh the cons by saving lives and should continue. In conclusion the legislative process is lengthy and complex, but this allows for bills to be well deliberated and written before they become laws. It is important that we as nurses are aware of current political issues that could affect us not only as citizens, but in our careers as nurses as well. Genetic testing is just one of the many political issues that affect everyone, including nurses. I feel that genetic testing saves lives but should be closely watched in order to avoid

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