I’ve included some news stories on DNA registries for newborns in the past, most recently involving a troubling situation in Texas. Here’s an overview of some of the controversies surrounding such databases, from Sarah McIntosh:
Parents are expressing outrage after discovering through recent news reports that their newborns’ DNA has been stored or even turned over to the Armed Forces lab to build a national registry, without obtaining their consent.
It is not unusual for infants’ DNA, obtained either via neonatal methods or soon after birth, to be tested for potential genetic problems. Several states store each new baby’s DNA and may even turn it over for research purposes. But these facts are not widely known, and the reports raised concerns about the privacy of health information.
Read more from the Heartland Institute.
Thanks to a reader who sent in this link.