Labour MP wants 'Right to Be Forgotten' law for cancer survivors

A Labour backbencher wants cancer survivors in complete remission to have the right not to disclose their past illness to financial institutions and employers.

MP Amanda Spiteri Grech said she will table a private members' bill to introduce the 'right to be forgotten' for cancer survivors.

The proposed legislation seeks to prevent long-term discrimination, which often hinders survivors' ability to secure loans, mortgages, insurance, and even certain jobs, years after they have been medically cleared.

People who struggled with cancer should not remain shackled to that diagnosis for life, she said.

"The fight is over and life goes on", Spiteri Grech said.

She revealed details of her plans in an interview on Labour's radio station last week.

She recounted one of the stories that inspired her legislative push.

"I met a young man who had cancer when he was five. He was cured, went ahead with his career, and when, decades later he sought a loan from the bank, they told him he had cancer and is still considered a risk."

It's not fair to continue to be deemed a risk even after they have fought and won the battle, are living a normal life and when even doctors and oncologists have even struck them off the hospital lists, she said.

Despite this, she lamented, survivors "still suffer the consequences because they're deemed a risk".

What is it about?

The "right to be forgotten" law would protect cancer survivors - once a remission period has elapsed and the person is given a clean bill of health - from both financial and employment discrimination related to that past diagnosis.

"If I'm physically able for the job, why do I have to tell you I had cancer 10 years ago in a medical test?" Spiteri Grech asked.

Cancer survivors often face significant challenges, most notably when applying for financial services. Insurers often charge them significantly more for life, health, or travel insurance, drag them through extensive paperwork and force them to provide extensive medical records and undergo frequent reassessments.

Sometimes insurance policies might exclude certain risks related to their past cancer diagnosis and the most unfortunate candidates have their applications outright denied.

Which countries have already done it?

If Spiteri Grech's law is approved, Malta will join a growing list of European countries that have already enacted similar legislation.

Spiteri Grech said she has researched laws in France, Belgium, Romania, and Italy, among others. These countries have implemented varying remission periods, but the core principle remains the same: to protect survivors from discrimination.

Laws in France and Belgium require a five-year remission period for adults and shorter periods for those diagnosed in childhood.

Italy’s law allows survivors to withhold their health status after 10 years from the end of treatment, or five years if they were diagnosed before the age of 21.

Romania has set its remission period at seven years.

Spiteri Grech is seeking public consultation before tabling the bill, saying she wants to hear from people. 

"We all know people who got hit by cancer and medicine has advanced so much that there are many success stories out there," she said.

Suggestions can be sent to amanda.spiteri.1@parlament.mt.