Health Care

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler today confirmed that the committee will soon hold a hearing on the impacts of radiation exposure for Downwinders, an issue championed by Rep. Greg Stanton. Stanton, the sponsor of H.R. 612, the Downwinders Parity Act of 2021, has been working to deliver justice for Downwinders in Mohave County, Arizona and Clark County, Nevada.

On the National Day of Remembrance for Downwinders, Rep. Greg Stanton renewed his commitment to bring justice to victims of radiation exposure in Mohave County in northwestern Arizona and Clark County in southern Nevada. He will introduce the Downwinders Parity Act of 2021 later this week. Stanton began his fight in the last Congress by pushing to amend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), which makes it possible for victims of illnesses resulting from atmospheric nuclear testing and uranium industry employment to file claims with the Department of Justice. His bill would update RECA to include both Mohave and Clark counties as affected areas—a change Stanton argues is long overdue.

For months, Rochelle Chee diligently went to the Phoenix Indian Medical Center for prenatal checkups. She knew a midwife and other staff there well and felt confident in the idea of going to the facility to deliver her first baby, who was growing big, in the 90th percentile for his gestational age. That’s why the Navajo woman was shocked when, at 40 weeks pregnant, she learned the hospital had shut down its obstetrics services with no prior notice.

Danielle Stephens ran her fingers down a long list of her relatives' names and sighed.

All of them had been diagnosed with cancer. Most of them had died, many before they were 55.