Act Now
on BABY DNA!
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)
is trying to undo last year's historic and protective MN Supreme Court
decision on Baby DNA.
MDH has drafted a "newborn screening" amendment to exempt the
state health department from the Minnesota Genetic Privacy Act -- and its
penalties for violating the Act.
They want to attach the "newborn screening" amendment to some
bill yet to pass this session.
They could try as soon as TODAY.
PLEASE ACT NOW (sample email below).
The MDH "newborn screening" amendment would also exempt
"biological specimens" from the definition of "genetic
information" in the genetic privacy law. The MN Supreme Court did not
accept the parsing of the two. According to the November 16 majority opinion of
the MN Supreme Court:
"The
blood samples collected from the appellants in this case unquestionably
contain biological information...........The Act limits the collection,
use, storage, or dissemination of genetic information. It would be
impossible to collect, use, store, or disseminate those samples without also
collecting, using, storing, or disseminating the genetic information contained
in those samples."
Thus if the MDH "newborn screening" amendment would become
law, any government agency, including MDH, could collect specimens, including
BABY DNA, without the citizens' informed consent and without being in violation
of the genetic privacy law (or at risk of current penalties).
Please
act now!
Contact
your representatives in the MN House and Senate and tell them to VOTE NO on
any "newborn screening" amendment or any legislation that does the
same.
Twila Brase, RN, PHN
President
Citizens' Council for Health Freedom
651-646-8935
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TO FIND YOUR REPRESENTATIVES AND
SENATORS, click here.
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Sample email:
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Dear __________
I oppose the newborn screening amendment that the Minnesota Department
of Health is attempting to add to a bill. I oppose excluding "biological
specimens" from the definition of "genetic information" in the
Genetic privacy law.
I also oppose exempting the Department's newborn screening program
(including any storage, use, and dissemination) from the MN Genetic Privacy Act
and its protective penalties against government agencies that do not get the
required informed written consent of the parents for storage, use and
dissemination of Baby DNA.
The Department has violated the MN Genetic Privacy Act since it became
law. The only thing that stopped them is the MN Supreme Court ruling last
November in favor of parents whose rights were being violated under the genetic
privacy law. No government department collecting the DNA of every child should
be exempt from the state genetic privacy law.
Please oppose the "newborn screening" amendment or any
legislation that would do the same.
Please vote NO.
Name
City, etc.
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