State illegally traded, sold newborns' blood to private companies, suit alleges.

State illegally traded, sold newborns' blood to private companies, suit alleges.

www.statesman.com

A class action lawsuit filed Wednesday in San Antonio alleges that the state health department "deceptively and unlawfully sold, traded, bartered, and distributed blood samples" from thousands of newborns in exchange for fees, lab equipment and other purposes.

The suit alleges that the use of the blood samples was an unlawful "search and seizure" that violated "fundamental privacy rights" of the children and possibly their relatives.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Im not really sure what to say about this.

Trading thousands of babies blood samples for lab equipment, frees and other stuff? I really have a problem with this. Where exactly did all of the blood go?

The article says that the Health Department sent some 800 spot samples to a database the U.S. Department of Defense, supposedly for aiding in criminal investigations and missing persons cases. Apparently, the Health Department never told the parents about this.

Jim Harrington, director of the nonprofit that filed the suit, said that during the settlement negotiations, he and the parents repeatedly asked about other uses for the blood. The health department never disclosed that some blood spots were swapped for laboratory equipment or sold to private companies in exchange for supplies or cash, he said. Nor were they told that 800 spots were sent to a database the U.S. Department of Defense was building to aid in criminal investigations and missing persons cases, he said.

Wouldnt you want to know if your childs blood is being traded with private companies for equipment, fees, or being sent to the Department of Defense?

Also - What did those "private companies" do with the blood? Did they sell them to other companies? Who has them now?

www.statesman.com (visit the link for the full news article)

edit on 8-12-2010 by buni11687 because: (no reason given)

edit on 8-12-2010 by buni11687 because: (no reason given)

edit on 9-12-2010 by buni11687 because: (no reason given)

I have huge issues with the State of Texas doing this. The part that bothers me the most is they sold them for a criminal database... so now the government has my kids dna. Im sure all their personal info was sold right along with it. Pure evil. And why would these other companies want these blood samples anyway?
I was just about to post this, but got sidetracked reading other recent posts.... anyway I Hope to be able to join this class action suit.

reply to post by toolstarr


I think they may have sold them to military databases as well, not just criminal databases.

Higgins, 49, said he favors research and would have said yes, if asked. But he is deeply concerned about a military database and future repercussions for his daughter, now 3, because he said what is legal today could be illegal tomorrow. He added that he opposes having companies profit from his daughter's blood.

I dont really know what to say.....

reply to post by buni11687


Thats shocking..
I wonder how much personal information went with the samples..
And to Private Companies??? Criminals that should be in jail..!!

reply to post by toolstarr


We just have to make sure governments never get the power to use this information against your child. I have no real problem with real criminals being on government dna bases but not innocent babies.

reply to post by buni11687


I think that you will find that as soon as you apply for birth registration, when the child is registered he/she receives a CUSIP number (usually stamped in red on the back of the birth certificate) which makes the child a "property" of the government. The parents are only given the privilege of guardianship, technically. Once your child becomes a property of the state they are allowed to take blood and any other biometrics they want and do whatever they want with it.

The birth "certificate" is a receipt for the Title. Someone else has the title on the child.

what if it was for research of the dna to see if anyone had retroviral capability i hope the lawyer looks at that as well there was a story i read not to long ago well ok a year lol about a black lady who had gave blood for another related illness and they found her blood rejected certain other viruses and there is a 61 yr old black fellow whose antibodies kill 91 percent of hiv that was on bossip.com a while back but if that was what they were looking for who knows how much money the family shoud get.

I found another article that says the samples were sold to pharmacy companies and also the military.

Article

A civil rights group is suing Texas health officials over the sale of at least 8,800 baby blood samples to pharmacy companies and the military.