Week in Review: It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way

Five-year-old Olivia Riley, who suffers from a rare genetic brain disorder, is tragically in hospice care, unlikely to survive her childhood.

“That her younger sister Keira, who has the very same disease, is a thriving four-year-old is a testament to the power of an innovative gene therapy that saved Keira’s life as an infant,” Goldwater Senior Fellow Naomi Lopez writes in The Hill.

Had the Riley family waited until this month for the Food and Drug Administration to approve that personalized treatment, it would have been too late. Instead, the Rileys had to move to Italy to save Keira’s life. “The U.S. is falling behind the world when it comes to individualized medicine. It doesn’t have to be this way,” Lopez explains.

The Rileys’ story highlights the need for Goldwater’s Right to Try for Individualized Treatments. The reform, already law in Arizona and Nevada, with more states on the horizon, expands the original Right to Try so that critically ill patients can obtain the personalized care they need without first begging the federal government for permission.

“It’s time for U.S. policymakers to put patients first,” Lopez says, “ensuring that the right patient may access the right treatment at the right time.”

Read the rest at The Hill. 

Putting the ‘Civil’ Back in ‘Civilization’

The situation in our schools is getting more dire by the day. Visit a public middle- or high-school classroom, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone teaching a unique American civic identity.

Now Goldwater is launching robust U.S. civics and history professional development workshops for Arizona middle- and high-school teachers. Through a contribution from Goldwater’s Van Sittert Center for Constitutional Advocacy, participating teachers will earn $300 stipends for attending one of the intensive 4.5-hour in-person workshops, which will focus on American history, American institutions like federalism and separation of powers, and Arizona-specific education requirements.

“Today’s schools use every identity except the American one as a lens to teach students. While students increasingly are unable to identify the branches of government, much less tell you their functions, they are more exposed to the dogmas of progressive identity politics,” Goldwater Civics Education Specialist Tyler Bonin writes in the Washington Examiner.

But with a host of new resources at their disposal, Arizona educators will be able to return to their classrooms to equip the next generation to engage in rigorous, yet civil, debate, with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the foundational pillars of our republic.

Read more here. 

ICYMI: How Freedom-Minded Women Can Succeed in College

When Goldwater Ronald Reagan Fellow Cameron Teel says conservative and libertarian women on college campuses often feel “isolated and misunderstood in a sea of leftist ideology,” she’s speaking from experience.

So how can freedom-minded women succeed in higher ed?

The Goldwater Institute recently hosted a live webinar event featuring Karin Lips, founder of the Network of enlightened Women (NeW) and author of You’re Not Alone: The Conservative Women’s Guide to College. Also featuring Goldwater Executive Vice President Christina Sandefur and Teel, a current college student, the discussion provided practical advice ranging from navigating the political climate to picking a major, networking, and relationship-building.

Universities are becoming battlegrounds where free speech is stifled, diverse viewpoints are suppressed, and free-market voices are marginalized. But remember: you’re not alone.

“Creating that community matters,” Lips said, also advising women to “be thoughtful and purposeful about your decisions in college.”

While pro-free-market women face significant obstacles on college campuses, groups like Goldwater and NeW are there to offer hope and support. “We are working toward a future where all students can engage freely and fearlessly in the pursuit of knowledge,” Teel says.

Watch the webinar here. 

RSVP: Does the World Need More Lawyers?

Should the barriers to enter the practice of law be lowered?

You’re invited to join Goldwater Institute Vice President Jon Riches on Tuesday, April 2, in Washington, D.C., as he moderates a panel on legal licensing reform during an in-person event hosted by the Federalist Society’s Regulatory Transparency Project. Registration is free for the event, which begins at 6:00 am MT/9:00 am ET, with Riches’ panel starting at 7:00 am MT/10:00 am ET.

Register here, or tune in to the livestream here.