Christina Sandefur, executive vice president of the Goldwater Institute, will be the featured speaker at the next meeting of the Fountain Hills Republican Club.

The meeting will be held Saturday, April 16, at 9 a.m. at the Fountain Hills Community Center. Sandefur will address the topic of the “Right to Try” initiative, which she co-authored.

The initiative is now law in 24 states including Arizona. The Arizona Terminal Patients’ Right to Try Referendum, Proposition 303, was on the Nov. 4, 2014, ballot as a legislatively referred state statute.

It was approved by 1.1 million voters, an overwhelming 78.47 percent of the total vote. The measure will allow investigational drugs, biological products or devices to be made available to terminally ill patients. The term “investigational” refers to medical treatments that have completed phase one of a clinical trial but have not yet been approved for general use by the Food and Drug Administration and remain under investigation in continuing clinical trials.

Sandefur’s address will include information from The Right to Try: How the Federal Government Prevents Americans from Getting the Lifesaving Treatments They Need by Darcy Olsen, president of the Goldwater Institute. The book, which was published in November 2015, is filled with anecdotes of patient success stories starting with the case of the first ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) patient to survive the illness using previously unapproved medication. Extensive research employed by Olsen and her colleagues at Goldwater has helped to lead the way in changing the laws nationwide.

A graduate of Hillsdale College and the Michigan State University College of Law, Sandefur, in her role at Goldwater, develops policies and litigates cases advancing healthcare freedom, free enterprise, private property rights, free speech, and taxpayer rights.

Sandefur is the co-author of the book Cornerstone of Liberty: Private Property Rights in 21st Century America (2015). She is a frequent guest on national television and radio programs, Including John Stossel’s program on Fox Business News.

Her litigation and policy work has been featured in the National Review, the Washington Post, Human Events, the American Spectator and the Weekly Standard, among others. She has provided legal testimony to various legislative committees and is a frequent speaker at conferences.

Republican Club meetings are open to all interested persons at no charge. Complimentary coffee and light snacks are available at 8:30 a.m.

GOP candidates for public office are given an opportunity for a brief campaign speech following the program.

The club’s monthly social will be at 6 p.m. at the Fireside Grill at the Lexington Hotel, Tuesday, April 26. Attendees have an opportunity to discuss political topics of the day. No host bar and food are available. Reservations are not necessary.

For further information, visit fhrepublicanclub.org.