| ■ Texas Must Destroy 5 Million Blood Specimens From Babies | 2009.12.25 |
| More than five million blood samples taken from babies without parental permission will be destroyed by Texas health authorities early next year following settlement of a lawsuit. The blood specimens, stored indefinitely for scientific research, were the subject of a lawsuit filed by the Texas Civil Rights project on behalf of five plaintiffs, the Associated Press reported. The suit against the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Texas A&M University System argued that their failure to obtain parental consent violated constitutional protections against unlawful search and seizure. The parents feared their children's private health information would be misused. About 5.3 million samples would be destroyed, said a state health services spokeswoman. For decades, Texas has collected blood specimens to screen for birth defects and diseases. Last May, the state placed some restrictions on the procedures, giving parents the right to refuse and instituting controls over the research that can use the specimens. The lawsuit involves the samples collected prior to the new law. If parents agree, the health department can still use the blood samples for disease research, the AP said. |