Does the Government Have Your Baby's DNA?

Imagine giving birth to a baby, only to find out that a sample of his or her DNA was taken without your permission. Immediately you begin to think about possible scenarios – is the government keeping your child’s personal data on file for future use? Could outside companies buy your baby’s DNA for research purposes? Might you wake up one day to find out that little Emily or Jacob has been cloned? Unfortunately, this is not the stuff of science fiction. And while there haven’t been any reported cases of cloning, in many states a baby’s DNA could be taken unbeknownst to the parents. It’s exactly what happened to Annie Brown from Mankato, Minnesota, CNN reported. When her daughter, Isabel, was one month old she was told by the pediatrician that her baby girl carried a gene that put her at risk for cystic fibrosis. And although Annie and her husband were relieved to find out that their daughter did not have the disease, they couldn’t help but wonder – how had the hospital gotten Isabel’s DNA in the first place?...read more