Gov. Pawlenty Protects Genetic Privacy Rights Vetoes "DNA Warehouse" Bill

Minneapolis/Saint Paul - In a letter dated today View Here, Governor Tim Pawlenty writes that he has vetoed S.F. 3138, the genetic information and DNA bill. S.F. 3138 would have eliminated current informed parent consent requirements for government storage, use, and dissemination of newborn citizen blood and DNA.

Twila Brase, president of Citizens' Council on Health Care (CCHC), the organization that led the opposition to this legislation, provides the following statements:

"Today is a good day for all citizens. Governor Pawlenty chose to protect the privacy rights, human rights, and DNA property rights of all individuals, starting at birth.

"By vetoing Senate File 3138, the Governor kept the strong legal protections of the state genetic privacy law in effect for all citizens, including the 780,000 children whose DNA has already been warehoused without legal authority or parent consent.

"We now call on the Minnesota Department of Health to take immediate steps to comply with the genetic privacy law's informed consent requirements that have been in law since 2006. The Department has already violated the law for two years. The Governor's veto makes it clear that they must comply with the law. No more children should have their DNA stored or used for genetic research projects without their parent's written informed consent. No more children should have their DNA and genetic code owned by the government without their parent's written informed consent.

"We wholeheartedly thank Governor Pawlenty for his decision to protect the genetic privacy rights and informed consent rights of all citizens."

Twila Brase can be reached at 651-646-8935

WEBSITE: http://www.itsmydna.org