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Burstow heralds victory in battle to stop cancer discrimination
October 4, 2005 4:49 PM
Sutton and Cheam MP Paul Burstow has welcomed the Government's U-turn on excluding certain cancers from protection under new Disability Discrimination laws.
Paul Burstow has been vocal in the campaign to scrap proposals in the Disability Discrimination Act which granted immunity to certain types of cancer from the protection of the legislation which Mr Burstow feared would act as "a green light for discrimination to continue unchecked".
Supported by Macmillan Cancer Relief, a cross-party Parliamentary motion championed by Paul Burstow, urged the Government to amend the law so that cancer patients were protected from the discrimination that results from the stigma and prejudice that surrounds cancer.
Following this pressure, the Government has conceded that it is not possible to distinguish between people whose cancers are likely to require substantial treatment and those whose cancers are not.
Delighted with this outcome, Peter Cardy, Chief Executive of Macmillan Cancer Relief said: "This is an important victory for people with cancer who do not deserve to be unfairly disadvantaged by the misinformed prejudices of the few. We welcome the government's decision to make this a sensible, effective and workable piece of legislation by extending the definition to include all types of cancer."
Mr Cardy went on to thank Paul Burstow for his crucial support and work in campaigning for this amendment to the bill.
Welcoming the Government's U-turn, Mr Burstow added: "This change in Government policy means that everyone with a cancer diagnosis now has the legal protection they deserve against discrimination by employers and service providers. I am delighted that the Government have listened to our point of view as this decision has brought much needed clarity to what I hope will be a greatly improved and effective piece of legislation."
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