Health Council, Congressman Ron Paul warn new law could pave the way
for a national DNA database

Steve Watson
Infowars. net
Friday, May 2, 2008

President Bush last week signed into law a bill which will see the
federal government begin to screen the DNA of all newborn babies in
the U.S. within six months, a move critics have described as the first
step towards the establishment of a national DNA database.

Described as a "national contingency plan" the justification for the
new law S. 1858, known as The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of
2007, is 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 here.

One health care expert and prominent critic of DNA screening is Twila
Brase, president of the Citizens' Council on Health Care who has
written a detailed analysis (PDF) of the new law in which she warns
that it represents the first program of populationwide 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.

"Soon, under this bill, the DNA of all citizens will be housed in
government genomic biobanks and considered governmental property for
government research," Brase writes. "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.

"

"The public is clueless. S. 1858 imposes a federal agenda of DNA
databanking and population-wide genetic research. It does not require
consent and there are no requirements to fully inform parents about
the warehousing of their child's DNA for the purpose of genetic
research.

"

In a previous report we outlined the consequences of the already
existing DNA warehousing operation in Minnesota, a program that the
Citizens' Council on Health Care has been following closely for a
number of years.

Ms. Brase explained in a statement last month that state Health
Department officials are now seeking exemption for the so called "DNA
Warehouse" from Minnesota privacy law. This would enable state
officials to continue to take the DNA of newborn infants without
consent, which would also set the precedent for nationwide policy on
DNA screening.

DNA of newborns has already been harvested, tested, stored and
experimented with nationwide.

The National Conference of State Legislatures lists for all 50 states,
as well as the District of Columbia, the various statutes or
regulatory provisions under which newborns' DNA is already being
collected.

In addition, all 50 states are now routinely providing these results
to the Department of Homeland Security.

The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007 merely establishes this
practice within the law.

Another vocal critic of bill S. 1858 is Texas Congressman Ron Paul who
made the following comments before the U.S.

House of Representatives:

"I cannot support legislation, no matter how much I sympathize with
the legislation's stated goals, that exceed the Constitutional
limitations on federal power or in any way threatens the liberty of
the American people. Since S. 1858 violates the Constitution, and may
have untended consequences that will weaken the American health care
system and further erode medical privacy, I must oppose it.

"

Paul, a medical doctor himself continued, "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," Paul
continued.

"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," he concluded.

Original Story at:

infowars. net/articles/may2008/020507DNA. htm