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Why Do We Need a ‘Right to Try’ Bill in America?

Why Do We Need a ‘Right to Try’ Bill in America?
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) patient Jordan McLinn (R) of Indiana gives U.S. President Donald Trump (L) a hug during the signing ceremony for the Right to Try Act at the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Building May 30, 2018 in Washington, D.C. Alex Wong/Getty Images
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Congress recently passed, and President Donald Trump signed, the “Right to Try” bill that gives dying patients limited access to drugs that have not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Our founders would be astonished that we need such a bill. Nowhere does the U.S. Constitution give the federal government the authority to regulate the practice of medicine. And it is a very good thing that federal intervention and standards didn’t begin in 1789.

Jane M. Orient M.D.
Jane M. Orient M.D.
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