Breana Noble | Collegian
Christina Sandefur ’07 spoke at a Young Americans for Freedom and Praxis event Nov. 18 on how government regulation can cause serious harm to people with life-threatening diseases.
For the Goldwater Institute, Sandefur said she serves as the vice president for policy and “sues bureaucrats for a living.”
“The Federal Drug Administration, when it was founded, was about empowering consumers so that they could make informed decisions,” Sandefur said. “Now, the FDA’s primary role is to put up roadblocks and stop patients from being able to make their own choices.”
Sandefur advocates for “right to try” laws. This policy provides terminally ill individuals the right to take drugs that have passed safety testing but are not not yet approved by the FDA.
So far, 24 states have passed “right to try” laws. Only one state — California — has vetoed the policy.
“The Constitution protects your fundamental right to try to save your own life,” Sandefur said.
The Goldwater Institute is a think-tank in Arizona that advances the freedom movement at the state level.
“When the federal government fails to protect your rights, then the states can step in,” Sandefur said.
Though many freedom lovers advocate for their rights at the federal level, movements using the state constitutions can spark change in Washington, D.C., according to Sandefur.
YAF Trustee senior Christy Allen worked with “right to try” at the Goldwater Institute during the summer of 2014.
“It’s important because if the FDA affects your ability to live, then the government has overstepped its bounds,” Allen said.
