MARF Stands Up for Asbestos-Cancer Victims; Advocates a National Research and Treatment Program
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Tuesday June 3, 3:48 pm ET SANTA BARBARA, Calif., June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Senator Orrin Hatch convenes a hearing tomorrow on his bill, S.1125, "The Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2003." The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating mesothelioma as a life-ending disease, is calling on Senator Hatch to include within his trust fund proposal a research program aimed at curing this asbestos-cancer. In a letter sent to Senator Hatch today, MARF urges him directly: "We suggest that to truly fulfill the noble intent of your bill, as evident in its title, 'the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act,' you create a program whose objective is to resolve the injury through prevention, research and cure. Compensating mesothelioma victims, no matter the amount, after their injury does not resolve the injury. We can only really resolve the nightmare if, as a country, we unite to fund medical research that can render this disease curable." In MARF's view, according to Executive Director Christopher E. Hahn, "The national disaster of asbestos is a human tragedy, not just a corporate problem. It is misguided to focus only on banning asbestos litigation. Asbestos itself must be banned, and asbestos-cancer rendered curable. Therefore, MARF solidly supports Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) in her courageous attempt to ban asbestos and provide funding for mesothelioma research and treatment, through her Ban Asbestos in America Act, S. 1115." On behalf of MARF, Hahn flew to Washington D.C. and spoke on the critical need for the Act when Senator Murray introduced it on May 22. Full details are on the Advocacy Page of MARF's website, at http://www.marf.org/marfFrames/AdvocacyAwarenessFrame.htm. For more information, contact:
Christopher E. Hahn
** POSTED JUNE 9, 2003 ** |