Legal and professional policies-Legislator letter Federal Government Office in Saint Paul, Minnesota
60 Plato Blvd Suite #220, St Paul, MN 55107, United States
Dear Senator Smith
My name is John Doe, and I am a nursing student at School Name. My intention of writing this letter is to address legal issues associated with genetic discrimination and how this issue relates to both professional and legal policies in the healthcare profession. Genetic discrimination occurs when an individual is treated differently by their employer or insurer based on them having a gene mutation that predisposes them to an inherited disorder. One such disorder is sickle cell anemia which is genetically inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern.
Background of the discrimination of people with sickle cell disease
People who have sickle cell disease are subjected to discrimination due to various reasons such as the status of the disease, race, delayed puberty and growth, socioeconomic status, and having acute and chronic pain requiring management with opioids. Discrimination of people with sickle cell disease is a major problem that needs to be addressed because it affects their access to health insurance services and employment. Health insurance is an important service in people’s lives because health issues may arise at any time, and people may not always have access to money to cater for healthcare expenses. Racism is the main source of discrimination against people with sickle cell disease, thus creating issues in healthcare equity such as less funding support for people with sickle cell and limited access to healthcare. People living with sickle cell disease are also, in some instances, forced to experience their parents being discriminated against and overprotection by their families.
According to Jenerette & Brewer (2010), the onset of discrimination starts with the mother of a child born with sickle cell disease. A study conducted among mothers of children with sickle cell disease in Canada indicated that the mothers had to deal with discrimination and challenges such as separation anxiety, fear of the death of their children, loneliness, helplessness, and isolation (Burnes et al., 2008). Caregivers of children with sickle cell disease viewed their children as having many problems, especially less total competence and emotional issues (Jenerette & Brewer, 2010). These perceptions result in overprotective behaviors. Adolescents with sickle cell disease also face discrimination due to late sexual maturation and delayed growth, delay in secondary sex attributes, and small body mass.