<Home
Michigan House Republicans

Rep. Whiteford delivers a speech on the House floor Wednesday to urge support for her plan to expand the Right to Try Act to include COVID-19.

House approves Rep. Whiteford’s Right to Try legislation
RELEASE|February 24, 2022

Plan ensures patients have access to potentially lifesaving treatments

The state House has approved state Rep. Mary Whiteford’s plan to expand the Right to Try Act to include clinical trials and other measures for treating COVID-19 that are under consideration by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Michigan’s Right to Try Act, created in 2014, allows terminally ill patients access to experimental therapies, medical treatments and more that have completed the first phase of testing but have not yet been approved by the FDA.

Whiteford’s plan adds COVID-19 to the list of conditions included in the act, giving patients the opportunity to try medications and treatments that could potentially save their lives.

The representative from Casco Township said clinical trials are a widely accepted form of treating countless other life-threatening diseases and conditions and she believes COVID-19 should be no different.

“The number of COVID deaths throughout our state is simply heartbreaking,” said Whiteford, a registered nurse and chair of the House Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee. “We must add COVID-19 to the list of conditions included in the act so that Michigan residents can access the health care measures they need to survive. This isn’t political, this is about giving hope to people facing the end of their life.”

House Bill 5637 was approved with bipartisan support and now moves to the state Senate for further consideration.

###

Michigan House Republicans

© 2009 - 2024 Michigan House Republicans. All Rights Reserved.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.