Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready stood before Washington state legislators yesterday to back a proposal for a new law to help people who suffer from inflammatory bowel disorders. McCready himself suffers from Crohn's disease, a painful gastrointestinal disorder that can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, and can often lead to sudden and painful diarrhoea.
McCready's proposal asked legislators to give access for bowel disorder sufferers to staff toilets mandatory for businesses which do no provide public conveniences. He told the Associated Press: "Imagine the worst diarrhoea you've ever had and then times it by 10, with a knife in it. You have maybe a half a second to find out where a bathroom is. I'm 42 years old. I'm doing fine. But when you're 13 or 14 and you're going through those years with the shame and indignation - it's embarrassing".
Despite opposition from the bank and restaurant associations, legislative committee chairman Jamie Pedersen said the bill was likely to be passed. Similar laws already operate in Illinois, Michigan and Texas.