Carmen Monge-Montero: Talking about the proposal for the Right To Be Forgotten law in oncology

Carmen Monge-Montero shared a post on LinkedIn:

“Hi Network.

Yesterday, I had the chance to visit the Asamblea Legislativa de la República de Costa Rica (Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica) to talk about the proposal for the Right To Be Forgotten law in oncology. I have been working closely with the team of Deputy Danny Vargas to write and correct this proposal, and now it is almost ready to present.

I began advocating for this law due to my experiences as a cancer patient/survivor in Costa Rica, where I faced stigma and challenges like the risk of losing my job, my sister being questioned about cancer when applying for a home loan, and difficulty getting insurance because cancer was considered a “pre-existing condition.”

I first heard about the Right to be Forgotten when I was living in Europe, thanks to all the work of Youth Cancer Europe to stop discrimination against cancer survivors in the financial sector. In 2022, the European Parliament approved a resolution to make sure that all Member States guarantee the Right to be Forgotten to all cancer patients by 2025.

The recent approval of this law in Chile (Thank you, Alejandra Mendez and Pablo Allard Méndez, for the inspiration!) made me believe that such protections could also be possible here in Costa Rica.

The Right to be Forgotten we are asking for is specifically to avoid discrimination against cancer survivors by financial entities and job recruiters. Under this proposal, after 5 years of remission without a relapse, financial institutions or job recruiters would not be allowed to ask if someone has had cancer. For those who were diagnosed with cancer before the age of 18, the period would be reduced to 3 years of remission. This law would help stop unfair treatment and ensure that cancer survivors are not punished for their past health conditions.

I hope this proposal will help us have stronger privacy and anti-discrimination rights in Costa Rica, giving equal opportunities to all cancer survivors. Thank you to everyone who has supported the project since the beginning, Lilliam Vásquez (Fundacáncer), Piarella Peralta de Wesseling (Inspire2Live), and Katie Rizvi (YCE).

Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to presenting this important law.”

Source: Carmen Monge-Montero/LinkedIn

Carmen Monge-Montero is a researcher and patient advocate with Youth Cancer Europe. She is the founder and content creator at Monge Consultancy and is also an advocate with MANO. In addition to her advocacy work, she is a global cancer advocate and a children’s book author.