Two bills aimed at helping victims, families
DES
MOINES, Iowa —Some local Vietnam War veterans want lawmakers to help people
exposed to Agent Orange, a carcinogenic herbicide used during the war.
The
herbicide is now linked to 14 diseases, including prostate cancer and
Parkinson's disease. The diseases can be passed on to veteran's children through
their DNA.
Veterans
and their family members shared their stories at a symposium Saturday in Des
Moines.
Jill
Monson of Clear Lake said she needs a cane to walk. She's only 44 years old,
but doctors told her that her bones have a different age.
"About
a 100 (years old). I lost about 60 to 70 years of bone in two years,"
Monson said.
Severe
osteoporosis, cancer, seizures and a heart attack are among the complications
she has faced. Monson said it's all linked to her father's exposure to Agent
Orange during the war.
"I
always thought I was a very unhealthy person and really never knew why,"
Monson said. "It seems the more I'm reading, the more connections I'm
finding with my problems and I'm seeing my daughter's problems as
connections."
There are
two bills in Congress, HR1769 and S901, aimed at helping affected veterans and
their families. The Senate bill is known as the Toxic Exposure Research Act.
"We
have some issues that need to be dealt with, not just the research and finding
cures, but the funding so we can compensate those that have been seriously
affected," said Dan Gannon, commissioner of the Iowa Commission of
Veterans Affairs.
About 300
people signed a petition for Sen. Joni Ernst to sign S901. Organizers said Sen.
Chuck Grassley and all the other congressmen have already signed.
Monson
said the issue is a fight for her family's future.
"As
a mom, like I do each and every day I fight for justice for (my daughter) and I
will continue as a mom, just like I'm here with my dad,” she said.
By Rose Heaphy
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