Alabama Governor Allows Use of Experimental Treatments for Terminal Illness
Originally posted in Sputnik News by Staff
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US patients with terminal illness should be able to use experimental drugs to fight diseases, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley said upon signing Gabe’s Right to Try bill into law.
“As a physician, I believe it is extremely important to give terminally ill patients the option to consider experimental treatments,” Bentley said in a statement on Wednesday.
Ten-year-old boy Gabe Griffin from the US state of Alabama, who has a genetic disorder Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness, inspired the legislation, according to the statement.Governor Bentley met Griffin in 2014, when he and the Ride4Gabe group was bicycling across the country to bring awareness to DMD.
“I appreciate the Alabama Legislature passing this bill and giving Gabe and other children like him hope for the future,” Bentley added.
At present, there are at least 36 US states and the District of Columbia that have examined or will examine the issue of legalizing access to experimental treatment, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.