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Minnesota Law and Five Drops of Blood Raise Privacy Concerns
By Privacy Maven | November 11, 2007
A new law in Minnesota may violate privacy.
About 24 hours after a baby is born in Minnesota, a hospital nurse pricks a heel and squeezes five drops of blood.
Three blood spots go straight to a state Department of Health lab in St. Paul. Two spots are sent by courier to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Within days, the family will know if the child has one of more than 50 rare hereditary conditions that can now be detected and treated.
For little Ella Madison, it may have made the difference between life and death.
Ella has cystic fibrosis, where mucus clogs the lungs and pancreas. Such kids can die from lung infections or starve because they can’t absorb food. Because the disease was diagnosed at Ella’s birth, she started daily drugs and nebulizers. A charmer with big blue eyes and a dazzling smile, she now appears to be a healthy, normal 19-month-old.
But the state screening program that likely saved Ella is now at risk as Minnesota becomes the battleground in the first big clash between genetics and privacy in the DNA age.
The article continues.
Topics: Medical Privacy |