[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 20 (Monday, February 6, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H997]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            THE RIGHT TO TRY

  (Mr. FITZPATRICK asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the millions 
of Americans who receive the devastating news of a terminal diagnosis 
each year. Even with the amazing work done in American medical research 
and development, for too many families, access to these potentially 
lifesaving treatments will come too late, if at all.
  It is time for this body to come together with Federal regulators and 
industry leaders to clear the path forward to take care of those brave 
Americans who are fighting simply for a chance to live. A bill 
introduced today jointly by myself and Congressman Biggs will offer 
these brave Americans a chance to extend their lives.
  Mr. Speaker, the Right to Try Act would ensure that terminally ill 
patients, together with their physicians and pharmaceutical 
manufacturers, will have the right to try investigational treatments 
where no alternative exists. In fact, this bipartisan idea is already 
the law of the land in 33 States of our Nation.
  For patients and their doctors, the Right to Try Act affords them an 
opportunity to try therapies where the benefits far outweigh the risks. 
Whether it is a father courageously battling ALS or a brave child 
living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, all those fighting for their 
lives deserve a right to try. They deserve a right to live.

                          ____________________