ACLU, MYRIAD, and the Supreme Court: How one case
changed
the future for BRCA1/2 gene mutation carriers
Tuesday, October 27 | 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM EDT
Join us for a virtual discussion about genetics and the law with
Basser Center Young Leadership Council
Co-Chair Erika Stallings, Esquire
and Senior Staff Attorney at ACLU Women’s Rights Project,
Sandra Park, Esquire.
In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling invalidating patents on human genes. The case was brought by the ACLU on behalf of 20 medical organizations, geneticists, health advocacy groups, and patients, and challenged patents controlled by Myriad Genetics on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Join us to learn more about the case that led the Supreme Court to conclude that these patents violated long-standing case law prohibiting patents on products and laws of nature, what this outcome means for BRCA1/2 gene mutation carriers and individuals with other genetic diseases, and current threats to the Supreme Court’s decision.
Sandra Park, Esquire
Sandra Park (@sandrapark) is a senior attorney with the ACLU Women’s Rights Project. Sandra’s work focuses on advancing gender equality and challenging discrimination experienced by survivors of gender-based violence, and she was also counsel on the ACLU’s successful 2013 U.S. Supreme Court challenge to human gene patents. She previously worked at the Legal Aid Society, Bronx Neighborhood Office as a Skadden Fellow and clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein in the Southern District of New York. She is a magna cum laude graduate of New York University School of Law and Harvard University.
Erika Stallings, Esquire
Erika Stallings is an attorney based in New York City. She currently works as an assistant general counsel at Facebook. She is also a freelance writer and has been published in The New York Times, the Washington Post, O Magazine, The Cut, and many other venues. In July 2014 she learned that she carries a BRCA2 mutation and underwent a preventative mastectomy in December 2014 to lower her risk of developing breast cancer to less than five percent. She is passionate about the mission of the Basser Center and strives to educate other young women about hereditary cancer so that more individuals are empowered to be proactive about reducing their risk for breast and ovarian cancer.