Infant Blood Samples Raise Questions of Privacy

What if they have YOUR blood and they find out that you have some RARE genetic disease and then they use this information to BAR you from having health insurance because its gonna be too costly to take care of you?


INFORMED CONSENT! Patients right to PRIVACY. It doesn't get any simpler, we are not uptight, we want our rights.

That's scary. I read some where about the government getting a patent on everyone's DNA and storing it in some sort of national database.

What if they have YOUR blood and they find out that you have some RARE genetic disease and then they use this information to BAR you from having health insurance because its gonna be too costly to take care of you?


INFORMED CONSENT! Patients right to PRIVACY. It doesn't get any simpler, we are not uptight, we want our rights.

I really don't see any problems with this and I wish people would stop being so uptight. This is the reason why it is so hard to move ahead in this country in scinetific research. I mean what are they going to do with the patch of blood that is going to harm their kid????

Interesting my children were all born in Minnesota. I feel kind of deceived. If I had been asked, I probably would have said I don't care. The state doing this sort of thing without informed consent makes me wonder what else they do without asking us.

I really don't see any problems with this and I wish people would stop being so uptight. This is the reason why it is so hard to move ahead in this country in scinetific research. I mean what are they going to do with the patch of blood that is going to harm their kid????

The important thing about DNA testing is that it be accompanied by genetic counseling WHETHER there is a problem or not.
Further,

On May 21st, 2008, President Bush signed into law the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), which prohibits U.S. insurance companies and employers from discriminating on the basis of information derived from genetic tests. GINA passed both houses of Congress with a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives of 414 to 1. The bill had passed in the House twice before, most recently last year when the vote was 420 to 3. The U.S. Senate unamiously passed the current bill after compromises were reached on areas of disagreement that had held up its passage for several months.

GINA protects Americans from discrimination based on information derived from genetic tests. It forbids insurance companies from discriminating through reduced coverage or pricing and prohibits employers from making adverse employment decisions based on a person’s genetic code. In addition, insurers and employers are not allowed under the law to request or demand a genetic test.


Do you believe the legislators would pass such laws if there was not already evidence that insurers had abused access to such information?

If you had diabetes in your family, would you like to be told when you accept your first position as an RN that the insurance available to other employees was not available to you because you have a history of diabetes?

Sorry, but past history gives evidence to misuse of information that 3rd parties have access to that people may not even know is out there.