Author : MarkSchlachtenhaufen
Date : 10/31/2006
(LIN) A new law creates the framework for licensing genetic counselors in Oklahoma, setting standards and requirements for professionals in the growing field.
SB 990, by Sen. Bernest Cain, D-Oklahoma City, and Rep. Doug Cox, R-Grove, requires, among other things, the licensure of genetic counselors, establishes training and continuing education requirements and assures consumers that they will have qualified counselors when they seek their services. It gives administrative authority to the Board of Health, and the final version of the bill also prohibits genetic counselors from discussing abortion with patients.
Starting Nov. 1, genetic counselors - with provisions for genetic counselors already working in Oklahoma - will be required to hold a master's degree and a doctoral degree, both from a genetic counseling training program accredited by the American Board of Genetic Counseling or by an equivalent entity determined by the board.
Anne Roberts, executive director for the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, said scientific breakthroughs are providing new ways to help children live healthier, more productive lives, children who in times past would have led difficult lives.
Techniques such as screening newborns and surgeries that enable doctors to repair birth defects on babies when they're still in their mother's womb are making a difference, Roberts said. Last year, almost 50,000 Oklahoma infants were screened for cystic fibrosis and congenital adrenal hyperplasia.
In 2002, former Gov. Frank Keating signed a law that gave the state Department of Health the authority to provide a newborn screening program for the early treatment of genetic, metabolic and biochemical disorders. The previous law allowed only testing for inborn metabolic diseases aimed at preventing mental retardation.
Cain said SB 990 puts Oklahoma ahead of other states in relation to licensing genetic counselors. "This is going to be a big thing in the future," he said.
As of July, only five states - Oklahoma, California, Massachusetts, Utah and Illinois - had enacted legislation requiring a license to practice genetic counseling, according to the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC). While the other four states have penalties for those who violate their laws, the Oklahoma State Board of Health is developing procedures for reviewing cases.
At the national level, Cain said, developments related to the new state laws are being closely watched by groups like the NSGC.
In Oklahoma, SB 990 was amended after pro-life opponents feared it would cause more women to get an abortion. Cain said the intent of the bill merely was to establish a structure for individuals who want to become genetic counselors.
Cain, who supports a women's right to choose to have an abortion, said he offered to withdraw his sponsorship of the bill but decided not to do so. To ease the fears of individuals in the pro-life camp, compromise language was added prohibiting counselors from discussing abortion with patients. "It was a tough compromise," Cain said. "I just wanted a clean bill."
Abortion is a hot-button issue in Oklahoma, Cain said, adding that it is important to include all viewpoints during the legislative process.
Cox, a physician who has delivered about 800 babies, has said the bill was never about abortion but about requiring licensing for genetic counselors and helping the OU Health Sciences Center build a genetic counseling program so it can be a leader in what is an important scientific specialty.
Oklahomans for Life, a statewide right-to-life group affiliated with the National Right to Life Committee, encourages respect for and the protection of "every innocent human life" and works on issues including abortion, infanticide, cloning, euthanasia and assisted suicide.
Tony Lauinger, state chairman of Oklahomans for Life, said the group sought the amendment prohibiting genetic counselors from discussing abortion with patients. "We believe the final version of SB 990 satisfactorily addressed our concerns," Lauinger said. "The pro-life language was necessary to make it clear that there is a place in Oklahoma for pro-life genetic counselors who do not see abortion as a solution to a genetic disease."
In Section 8, the bill states: "Nothing in the Genetic Counseling Licensure Act may be construed to require any genetic counselor or other person to mention, discuss, suggest, propose, recommend, or refer for, abortion or to agree or indicate a willingness to do so, nor shall licensing of any genetic counselor be contingent upon acceptance of abortion as a treatment option for any genetic or other prenatal disease, anomaly or disability."
The law also protects a counselor from legal action for failing to "mention, discuss, suggest, propose, recommend, or refer for, abortion, unless the abortion is necessary to prevent the death of the mother."
Genetic counselors have experience in medical genetics and counseling and are members of a health care team, providing information and support to families who have members with birth defects or genetic disorders and to families who may be at risk for a variety of inherited conditions. Genetic counselors identify families at risk, investigate the problem present in the family, interpret information about the disorder, analyze inheritance patterns and risks of recurrence and review all available options with the family.
Heightened public awareness, along with scientific advances in adult disorders and reproductive technologies, has increased the demand for genetic counselors
Cain said a couple of years ago he had a discussion about the need for licensing genetic counselors in the state with Dr. John Mulvihill, medical director of OU's genetic counselors program.
Cain said that, at some point during the next couple of years, the state may need to revisit the genetic counseling issue.
Larry
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Larry Weatherford
Terrorism Communications Officer
Oklahoma State Department of Health
1000 NE 10th Street - Rm. 406
Oklahoma City, OK 73117-1299
405/271-5601
405/271-2865 (Fax)
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