Two New Zealanders who took drastic steps to prevent deadly hereditary cancers recently informed Parliament that insurance discrimination is stopping others from doing the same - costing lives as a result.

As part of AGenDA’s campaign to end 'genetic discrimination', Jody Bews-Hair and Julian Grennell urged the Government to protect Kiwis from being penalised by insurers for their genetic test results.

Jody Bews-Hair says genetic testing saves lives, and people should be encouraged to take the tests without fear.

"Anything that encourages people to get testing is really important, because it literally saves lives - and it ultimately saves money down the track. It's a lot cheaper to fund a prophylactic surgery or screening than it is to fund 10 years of cancer treatment."

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