If you live in California, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, North Dakota and Vermont, you might be surprised to know that the government is keeping DNA on your baby for as long as it wants.
The federal government mandates genetic screening of all babies. That has saved countless lives over the years as states have tested newborns for 28 to 54 genetic conditions.
The DNA in most states is held about a year and in Kansas for only a month. The states listed above have no deadline to dispose of a baby’s DNA. All those states hold the DNA indefinitely. In the case of Vermont, that state does not even have a written policy for storage and disposal of the specimens.
Because the screening being federally mandated, parents’ consent is not needed. Indeed, in most cases parents do not learn that testing was done unless the results turn up positive. Yet, the DNA, often identified by the baby’s name, remains on file for research or, as some state’s claim, for identification in case the child goes missing at a future date.
In Minnesota and Texas, a parent can fill out a form requesting that the DNA be destroyed. Elsewhere, the only option is to write a letter and ask “please.”
If birth expenses were paid by an insurance company, the results of the DNA test will be on record with that insurance company. The parents might not even know that. A child’s future access to insurance or even a job might be jeopardized with this information floating through insurance company databases.
Although there are substantial reasons to allow the genetic testing and catch a disease before it begins, to hold onto DNA samples for even healthy babies serves no overriding medical purpose.
