National DNA Database

[BridgeTroll]

Very interesting... Does anyone else have any insight?

http://www.naturalnews.com/025116.html

The Bill Nobody Noticed: National DNA Databank 
Published on 12-18-2008



In April of 2008, President Bush signed into law S.1858 which allows the federal government to screen the DNA of all newborn babies in the U.S. This was to be implemented within 6 months meaning that this collection is now being carried out. Congressman Ron Paul states that this bill is the first step towards the establishment of a national DNA database.

S.1858, known as The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007, is justified as a "national contingency plan" in that it represents preparation for any sort of public health emergency. The bill states that the federal government should "continue to carry out, coordinate, and expand research in newborn screening" and "maintain a central clearinghouse of current information on newborn screening... ensuring that the clearinghouse is available on the Internet and is updated at least quarterly". Sections of the bill also make it clear that DNA may be used in genetic experiments and tests. Read the full bill: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xp...

Twila Brase, president of the Citizens' Council on Health Care warns that this new law represents the beginning of nationwide genetic testing. Brase states that S.1858 and H.R. 3825, the House version of the bill, will:
• Establish a national list of genetic conditions for which newborns and children are to be tested.
• Establish protocols for the linking and sharing of genetic test results nationwide.
• Build surveillance systems for tracking the health status and health outcomes of individuals diagnosed at birth with a genetic defect or trait.
• Use the newborn screening program as an opportunity for government agencies to identify, list, and study "secondary conditions" of individuals and their families.
• Subject citizens to genetic research without their knowledge or consent.
Read her entire analysis of the implications of this bill here: http://www.cchconline.org/pdf/S_1858_NB...

Brase states that under this bill, "The DNA taken at birth from every citizen is essentially owned by the government, and every citizen becomes a potential subject of government-sponsored genetic research." All 50 states are now routinely providing results of genetic screenings to the Department of Homeland Security and this bill will establish the legality of that practice plus include DNA.

Ron Paul has also vigorously argued against this bill making the following comments before the US House of Representatives:
"I cannot support legislation...that exceeds the Constitutional limitations on federal power or in any way threatens the liberty of the American people. I must oppose it."

"S. 1858 gives the federal bureaucracy the authority to develop a model newborn screening program. Madame Speaker, the federal government lacks both the constitutional authority and the competence to develop a newborn screening program adequate for a nation as large and diverse as the United States. …"

"Those of us in the medical profession should be particularly concerned about policies allowing government officials and state-favored interests to access our medical records without our consent … My review of S. 1858 indicates the drafters of the legislation made no effort to ensure these newborn screening programs do not violate the privacy rights of parents and children, in fact, by directing federal bureaucrats to create a contingency plan for newborn screening in the event of a 'public health' disaster, this bill may lead to further erosions of medical privacy. As recent history so eloquently illustrates, politicians are more than willing to take, and people are more than willing to cede, liberty during times of 'emergency."

[Doctor_K]

One more piece of evidence that Bush is a closet fascist.  Man, it's really weird how more and more I'm finding myself agreeing with stephandare about that whole Republican party not really being a republican party anymore thing. 

Scary stuff.  All of it. 

[Lucasjj]

Not to take Bush and the republicans off the hook, but this bill was put forth by a democrat (Chris Dodd) and mainly sponsored by democrats. However, it was passed  by Unanimous Consent in the Senate on Dec 13, 2007, so all parties are really to blame.
You can see a good detail of the bill at http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-s1858/show

[BridgeTroll]

Not sure Bush had much at all to do with it... He will be blamed of course but...

Sponsor: Sen. Christopher Dodd [D-CT]

Cosponsors [as of 2008-11-07]

Sen. Jeff Bingaman [D-NM]
Sen. Richard Lugar [R-IN]
Sen. Orrin Hatch [R-UT]
Sen. John Kerry [D-MA]
Sen. Norm Coleman [R-MN]
Sen. Richard Durbin [D-IL]
Sen. Charles Schumer [D-NY]
Sen. Blanche Lincoln [D-AR]
Sen. Thad Cochran [R-MS]
Sen. Sherrod Brown [D-OH]
Sen. Christopher Bond [R-MO]
Sen. Hillary Clinton [D-NY]
Sen. Lisa Murkowski [R-AK]
Sen. Evan Bayh [D-IN]
Sen. Bernard Sanders [I-VT]
Sen. Tim Johnson [D-SD]

[BridgeTroll]

Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Associate Administrator of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to awards grants to eligible entities to: (1) provide education and training in newborn screening and congenital, genetic, and metabolic disorders to health care professionals and newborn screening laboratory personnel; (2) develop educational programs about newborn screening for parents, families, and patient advocacy and support groups; and (3) establish operate a system to assess and coordinate treatment relating to congenital, genetic, and metabolic disorders.
Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to develop a national contingency plan for newborn screening for use in the event of a public health emergency.
Requires the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children to: (1) recommend a uniform screening panel for newborn screening programs that includes the heritable disorders for which all newborns should be screened; and (2) develop a model decision-matrix for newborn screening program expansion. Directs the Secretary to adopt or reject recommendations by the Advisory Committee.
Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of CDC, to: (1) provide for quality assurance for screening laboratories; (2) provide for population-based pilot testing for evaluating new screening tools; (3) collect, analyze, and make available data on certain heritable disorders; and (4) operate regional centers for the conduct of applied epidemiological research on the prevention of such disorders.

[Doctor_K]

Alright.  I'll gladly stand corrected and informed by those more learned than I. 

Still kind of spooky to think about.

[BridgeTroll]

Oh I didn't say it wasn't spooky.  This is another case of technology outpacing our ability to see the consequences of the advances.  I believe the original intent is benign but the practice could evolve into something sinister...

[Lucasjj]

It is like almost every large governmental program. This system has great implications to benefit people who would otherwise not know of potential serious health problems, but at the same time it could be taken advantage of and create a loss of privacy.

[Doctor_K]

Brilliantly and succinctly put, Lucasjj.

[hooplady]

This might be OK if we could be assured that there will be fully informed consent on the part of the parents, but the various blogs seem to indicate there won't be.  This just brings up visions of jack-booted thugs coming at screaming babies with huge needles.  Or maybe just the old Monty Python where they come to collect the organ donor's organs before he's dead.

[CMG22]

Why start with newborns when the country has innumerable, unanalyzed rape kits?  I'd like to see our DNA testing capacity used on that before we screen every baby indiscriminately...

Besides, this opens up a whole ethical can of worms even if it is used only benevolently.  Personally, if I were a parent, I’d want the right to choose whether or not my child is screened.  And what if we find out the child has a defect that will manifest itself later and they may only live to be twenty.  Does this not remind anyone of GATACA??