Does NJ Have Your Baby’s Blood Stored? New Lawsuit Claims They Might
Let me start off by stating that I am NOT a parent, so there's no telling how I'd feel if I were one in this situation. I can say with confidence, however, that I probably wouldn't be too happy after hearing this news.
I was on Instagram the other day when I stumbled upon a reel that revealed the news about a class-action lawsuit that's been filed here in New Jersey against certain New Jersey health officials regarding the alleged stockpiling of blood taken by newborns over the last 23 years in various hospitals throughout the state.
Upon further digging, I discovered the suit claims that the state has violated families' constitutional rights since the blood in question was being stored without consent.
Allegedly, NJ health officials have been keeping the bloodspots from babies' heel-pricks since 2000. What are they planning to do with those specimens? Well, that's the question, isn't it?
If you've given birth, then you're aware of the heel-prick blood test administered to babies to test for diseases, right? What happens to those specimens after the tests are complete? Apparently, they're stored in a secret location/database. Most parents are not made aware of this since it doesn't say anything about the blood being stored in the initial hand-out they're given explaining the bloodspot test and what it's actually testing for.
Those involved in the lawsuit have acknowledged that parents must give the go-ahead for the test itself, but it's not mentioned in what they sign that the sample will be stored for over two decades.
If you've had a baby between the years 2000-2023, you might want to dig into this a little deeper.
Source: NewJerseyMonitor.com
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