This year marks the 50th anniversary of routine newborn screening in the United States. Since 1963, tens of millions of babies have had blood drawn from their heels to be tested for rare diseases.
The program has unquestionably prevented tragedies. But routine screening is now being expanded in ways that demand scrutiny. Parental consent is not universally required before testing, and giving parents a torrent of information about a child’s genetic disease risk will profoundly change the experience of bringing a new life into the world.
Read the full article here: Genetic screening: Every newborn a patient
