§ 13-102

The General Assembly finds that:

(1) Everyone in this State is entitled to the highest level of health care attainable and protection from inadequate health services;

(2) Hereditary and congenital disorders are often costly and tragic and sometimes deadly burdens to the health and well-being of the citizens of this State;

(3) Detection through screening for hereditary and congenital disorders can:

(i) Lead to alleviation of the disability of some hereditary and congenital disorders; and

(ii) Further the understanding of and accumulation of medical knowledge about other hereditary and congenital disorders that may lead to their eventual alleviation or cure;

(4) Hereditary and congenital disorders differ in severity, in that:

(i) Some have little effect on the normal functioning of an individual; and

(ii) Some may be alleviated, wholly or partly, through medical intervention and treatment;

(5) Most, if not all, individuals are carriers of some hereditary disorder and are substantially unaffected by that fact;

(6) A carrier of a hereditary disorder should not be discriminated against or stigmatized;

(7) Medical knowledge of the discovery, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of hereditary and congenital disorders is expanding rapidly and often at an uneven rate, so that hereditary and congenital disorders are discovered long before their treatment or cure can be found;

(8) Legislation designed to alleviate the problems associated with specific hereditary and congenital disorders may tend to be inflexible in the face of rapidly expanding medical knowledge;

(9) The policy of this State on hereditary and congenital disorders should be:

(i) Made with full public knowledge, in light of expert opinion; and

(ii) Reviewed constantly to consider changing medical knowledge and ensure full public protection;

(10) Participation in a hereditary and congenital disorders program should be wholly voluntary, and all information obtained about any individual in a hereditary and congenital disorders program should be kept confidential; and

(11) A commission is needed:

(i) To ensure that the policies and programs of this State for hereditary and congenital disorders comply with the principles established in this subtitle; and

(ii) To preserve and protect the freedom, health, and well-being of the citizens of this State from improper treatment or advice, discrimination, violation of privacy, or undue anxiety that results from any hereditary and congenital disorders program.