ACT NOW!
This is not an April Fool's Joke!
Final Senate vote could be TOMORROW, April 2...or Thursday at the latest!
Below:
MN Senate Shoots Down Consent Requirements for Genetic Research on Citizens; Votes to Approve Illegal State Actions
The Senate and House Bills (SF3138/HF3438) will give DNA ownership and genetic research rights to the State of Minnesota. State government will own the genetic information and profiles of all citizens, dating back to citizens born after July 1, 1997.
What happened:
URGENT...URGENT...
The final SENATE vote on S.F. 3138 is expected to happen TOMORROW OR THURSDAY!
And...the HOUSE could vote on H.F. 3438 as early as tomorrow!
CONTACT INFO:
Senate Info: 651-296-0504
House Info: 651-296-2146
Senate Email - sen.firstname.lastname@senate.mn
House Email - rep.firstname.lastname@house.mn
Who Represents You?
2) Carbon Copy the Governor. This is an initiative of his administration, his Commissioner of Health, and he has long been in support of it: 651-296-3391; 1-800-657-3717; tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us
THE VOTES and....WHERE WERE ALL THE REPUBLICANS?
The Senate voted 22-35 against informed parent consent for DNA retention and genetic research on citizens, and 17-38 against dismantling the State government's illegal DNA warehouse. We did not see any Republican Senators stand up in support of Senator Wergin's amendments. Why?
Here's what we know at this moment about the votes:
Consent Requirement for DNA Warehouse and Genetic Research Amendment - 21 of the 22 who voted in support:
Require Destruction of Illegally Retained DNA Amendment - 16 of the 17 who voted in support (All Republicans):
The Senators who voted for the first amendment, but against the second:
Senator Dahle (D-Northfield) chose not to vote on either amendment.
ONLINE INFO
CCHC YouTube Video (now over 1,300 hits!):
CCHC Petition to Governor Pawlenty
MEDIA RELEASE
Tuesday, April, 2008
For Immediate Release
Minneapolis/Saint Paul – Today, the Minnesota Senate vote to gut the Minnesota genetic privacy law was a strike against most basic right of all the people of Minnesota, says Citizens' Council on Health Care: the right of autonomy and self-determination.
Twila Brase, president of CCHC, makes the following statement:
"What good is a state genetic privacy law if the taking of every child's DNA at birth is exempt from its protections?"
"The Senate just voted to strip citizens of parent rights, privacy rights, patient rights and DNA property rights. They voted to make every citizen a research subject of the State government, starting at birth. They voted to let the government create genetic profiles of every citizen without their consent."
"Every newborn baby will have their DNA taken at birth, warehoused in a State genomic biobank, and given away to genetic researchers without parent consent—or in adulthood, without the individual's consent. Already, the health department reports that 42,210 children have been subjected to genetic research without their consent.
"The fact that Sen. Berglin wishes to let the Minnesota Department of Health conduct genetic fishing expeditions on children in the state's DNA warehouse is particularly disturbing.
"Today the DNA of 780,000 children is already housed in the state warehouse. It was collected illegally, without parent consent or statutory authority. More than 73,000 children are born in Minnesota each year. That means 200 children a day are losing their genetic privacy, DNA property and personal autonomy rights.
"The Senate just voted 22 to 35 to continue this unethical, patently unconstitutional program.
"If this is an April Fool's joke, it's time for the Senate to stand up and tell us it's not true."
Twila Brase is president of Citizens' Council on Health Care. She can be reached at 651-646-8935 office.
###
Final Senate vote could be TOMORROW, April 2...or Thursday at the latest!
Below:
- What happened today
- URGENT...URGENT...
- Contact Info for Legislature
- The Votes...and Where Were Republicans
- CCHC YouTube & Petition to Governor
- CCHC Press Release after Today's Vote
The Senate and House Bills (SF3138/HF3438) will give DNA ownership and genetic research rights to the State of Minnesota. State government will own the genetic information and profiles of all citizens, dating back to citizens born after July 1, 1997.
What happened:
- Today, the Minnesota Senate took their first of two votes on the government newborn citizen DNA warehouse bill. Sen. Betsy Wergin (sen.betsy.wergin@senate.mn) argued spectacularly and passionately and very articulately in support of her amendments to require informed consent, and to destroy the blood and DNA illegally collected by the Health Department for 10 years.
She said the Department's actions were illegal. She's right, but...
- Wergin's amendments were defeated by legislators who clearly do not think parents or citizens have the right to own their DNA...or the right to protect themselves from unconsented genetic research by government.
URGENT...URGENT...
The final SENATE vote on S.F. 3138 is expected to happen TOMORROW OR THURSDAY!
And...the HOUSE could vote on H.F. 3438 as early as tomorrow!
Senate Info: 651-296-0504
House Info: 651-296-2146
Senate Email - sen.firstname.lastname@senate.mn
House Email - rep.firstname.lastname@house.mn
Who Represents You?
2) Carbon Copy the Governor. This is an initiative of his administration, his Commissioner of Health, and he has long been in support of it: 651-296-3391; 1-800-657-3717; tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us
The Senate voted 22-35 against informed parent consent for DNA retention and genetic research on citizens, and 17-38 against dismantling the State government's illegal DNA warehouse. We did not see any Republican Senators stand up in support of Senator Wergin's amendments. Why?
Here's what we know at this moment about the votes:
Consent Requirement for DNA Warehouse and Genetic Research Amendment - 21 of the 22 who voted in support:
Sens. Day, Dille, Fischbach, Fredrickson, Gerlach, Gimse, Ingebretson, Johnson, Jungbauer, Koch, Limmer, Michel, Gen Olson, Ortman, Pariseau, Robling, Rosen, Senjem, Sheran (D), Sparks (D), Wergin(R)
Abstain/Absent - 10 people didn't vote.
We believe only Sen. Hann was absent; we were told Doll, Dahle, and Chaudhrey abstained.
Require Destruction of Illegally Retained DNA Amendment - 16 of the 17 who voted in support (All Republicans):
Day, Fischbach, Fredrickson, Gerlach, Gimse, Ingebretson, Johnson, Jungbauer, Koch, Limmer, Michel, Gen Olson, Ortman, Pariseau, Senjem, Wergin
Abstain/Absent - 12 people didn't vote.
The Senators who voted for the first amendment, but against the second:
Dille (R); Sheran(D); Robling(R); Rosen(R); Sparks(D)Senators who didn't vote for the first amendment but voted against the second: Chaudhrey( D) & Doll (D)
Senator Dahle (D-Northfield) chose not to vote on either amendment.
ONLINE INFO
CCHC YouTube Video (now over 1,300 hits!):
CCHC Petition to Governor Pawlenty
MEDIA RELEASE
Tuesday, April, 2008
For Immediate Release
MN Senate votes to warehouse all newborn
citizen DNA for genetic research without parent consent
Could this be a really bad April Fool's joke?
citizen DNA for genetic research without parent consent
Could this be a really bad April Fool's joke?
Minneapolis/Saint Paul – Today, the Minnesota Senate vote to gut the Minnesota genetic privacy law was a strike against most basic right of all the people of Minnesota, says Citizens' Council on Health Care: the right of autonomy and self-determination.
Twila Brase, president of CCHC, makes the following statement:
"What good is a state genetic privacy law if the taking of every child's DNA at birth is exempt from its protections?"
"The Senate just voted to strip citizens of parent rights, privacy rights, patient rights and DNA property rights. They voted to make every citizen a research subject of the State government, starting at birth. They voted to let the government create genetic profiles of every citizen without their consent."
"Every newborn baby will have their DNA taken at birth, warehoused in a State genomic biobank, and given away to genetic researchers without parent consent—or in adulthood, without the individual's consent. Already, the health department reports that 42,210 children have been subjected to genetic research without their consent.
"The fact that Sen. Berglin wishes to let the Minnesota Department of Health conduct genetic fishing expeditions on children in the state's DNA warehouse is particularly disturbing.
"Today the DNA of 780,000 children is already housed in the state warehouse. It was collected illegally, without parent consent or statutory authority. More than 73,000 children are born in Minnesota each year. That means 200 children a day are losing their genetic privacy, DNA property and personal autonomy rights.
"The Senate just voted 22 to 35 to continue this unethical, patently unconstitutional program.
"If this is an April Fool's joke, it's time for the Senate to stand up and tell us it's not true."
Twila Brase is president of Citizens' Council on Health Care. She can be reached at 651-646-8935 office.
###
Citizens' Council on Health Care supports freedom for patients and doctors, medical
innovation, and the right to a confidential patient-doctor relationship.
innovation, and the right to a confidential patient-doctor relationship.