On April 24, 2008, President Bush signed into law: S. 1858, the “Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007,” which authorizes through fiscal year 2012 new and existing programs at the Department of Health and Human Services concerning newborn screening. Senator Christopher Dodd [D-CT] sponsored the bill and two of the co-sponsors were Senators Edward Kennedy and Hillary Clinton.
The bill is a violation of the U.S. Constitution and the Nuremberg Code, writes Twila Brase, president of the Citizen’s Council on Health Care (CCHC). “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,” she states. “It does not require consent and there are no requirements to inform parents about the warehousing of their child’s DNA for the purpose of genetic research. Already, in Minnesota, the state health department reports that 42,210 children of the 780,000, whose DNA is housed in the Minnesota ‘DNA warehouse’ have been subjected to genetic research without their parents’ knowledge or consent.”
S.1858 is justified by the federal government 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.
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. [1]
[1] AAPS News. “President Bush Signs S. 1858 into Law.” 4.28.2008. www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/04/20080424-17.html. & www.govtrack. us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s110-1858 & www.aaps online.org/newsoftheday/0025. & www.naturalnews.com/z025116.html. & Donovan, Patty. “The Bill Nobody Noticed: National DNA Databank.” 12.18.2008. www.govtrack.us/congress/ bill.xpd?bill=s110 -1858. .