Morgan Griffith on the Right to Try

From U.S. Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA-9):

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There’s a saying about not making the perfect the enemy of the good. I thought of that saying recently when I voted for the Senate’s version of “right to try” on May 22.
Regular readers of this column know that I am a staunch supporter of the concept of “right to try,” which would allow patients facing life-threatening illnesses to access experimental treatments. Throughout my time in Congress, I have introduced bills to implement it at the federal level.
Recently, vocal support from the Trump Administration made the possibility of “right to try” becoming federal law more likely than ever. I worked with my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee and other supporters of the idea in the House of Representatives to craft a bill that we believed would give “right to try” the best opportunity for successful use.
I believe the bill we produced had the most promise. It put into law the right of terminal patients to attempt new treatments at their own risk, but it also included patient protections to promote the successful use of this right. The House passed the bill in March by a vote of 267-149. Thirty-five Democrats supported it.
The Senate had passed its own “right to try” legislation last year by unanimous consent. I did not think the quality of the Senate bill matched the House’s version. Since “right to try” passed the Senate without opposition last year, I believed we would be able to work out a compromise that would clear both chambers. In the Senate, however, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) blocked the way to sending such a measure to President Trump’s desk.
Ultimately, we had to pass the Senate version to enact “right to try” this Congress. While I still believe the bill could have been better, I voted for it. Improvements to the law can be made later, but desperately ill patients can get another chance for treatment now.
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