State Secretly Retaining Blood From Newborns

A lawsuit has been filed by the Institute for Justice over a New Jersey state program that has been obtaining, and secretly retaining, blood from newborns.

The IJ explained it is representing a number of parents in the case.

It’s because right now, “The state can currently use the DNA from the blood samples for any reason, without informed consent from parents.”

The case charges that state law in New Jersey demands that when babies are born, blood be taken and tested for various diseases, similar to other states.

“But, after the testing is over, New Jersey’s Department of Health keeps the leftover blood for 23 years. The state does not ask parents for their consent to keep their babies’ blood, failing to even inform parents that it will hold on to the residual blood. The only way parents could learn about such retention is by proactively looking it up on one of the third-party websites listed on the bottom of the card they’re given after the blood draw. (Read more from “State Secretly Retaining Blood From Newborns” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

Delete Facebook, Delete Twitter, Follow Restoring Liberty and Joe Miller at gab HERE.