On Friday, the Chamber of Deputies of Italy unanimously approved a law to combat discrimination against people who have overcome oncological diseases. The document grants these individuals the right not to disclose information about the presence of cancer; there are over a million such people in Italy. Now, the draft law must pass through the Senate without obstacles, according to Italian media.
The law on “oncological forgetting” will provide access to financial, banking, insurance services, government tenders, or minor adoption procedures for people with cancer. Currently, such individuals are deprived of the opportunity to avail themselves of these services or rights.
In the text of the law, this right is defined as the “right of persons who have recovered from oncological diseases more than 10 years ago and have not had disease recurrences not to provide information” about it.
At the same time, to practically help former patients to return to banking, financial, or insurance services, it is foreseen that information about the health status of these individuals will not be requested in order to enter into or renew contracts with various institutions.
The “Guarantor of Confidentiality” institution is introduced, which will be responsible for protecting personal data and the proper application of the new rules.
As reported by the Alfemminile portal, if the Senate also approves the law, “Italy will take an important step towards protecting the privacy and dignity of people who have overcome cancer.”
According to the text of the draft law, the number of people with cancer in the European Union is increasing every year. At the same time, it is estimated that the number of recoveries in the EU increases by 3% each year. Over 12 million people have already overcome cancer in Europe, including about 300,000 who have experienced the disease in childhood. France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Romania currently have legislation that allows people who have survived cancer to be “forgotten.”
Writer Rovendo
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