The Boston Globe2010-02-08
WASHINGTON-A critical safety net for babies -- that heelprick of blood taken from every newborn -- is facing an ethics attack. After those tiny blood spots are tested for a list of devastating diseases, some states are storing them for years. Scientists consider the leftover samples a treasure, both to improve newborn screening and to study bigger questions, like which environmental toxins can harm a fetus' developing heart or which genes trigger childhood cancers. But seldom are parents asked to consent to such research -- most probably don't know it occurs -- raising privacy concerns that are shaking up one of public health's most...