Reason: New Jersey Wants Your Baby’s Genes

Reason: New Jersey Wants Your Baby’s Genes by Elizabeth Nolan Brown (“Using genomic sequencing, doctors can diagnose diseases and abnormalities, reveal sensitivities to environmental stimulants, and assess a person’s risk of developing conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Ernest Post, chairman of the New Jersey Newborn Screening Advisory Review Committee (NSARC), discussed newborn genomic sequencing at an NSARC meeting in May. An NSARC subcommittee has been convened to explore the issue and is expected to issue recommendations later this year. It’s considering questions such as whether sequencing would be optional or mandatory, the New Jersey Monitor reported. Such schemes have attracted criticism from civil liberties groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Institute for Justice (I.J.).”)