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Gov. Tim Pawlenty said while he supports the testing done at birth for medical disorders, he wasn’t convinced the bill gave parents enough power to keep a child’s samples from being used in long-term research.
An estimated 73,000 newborns are tested each year, and approximately 140 are found to have a confirmed medical disorder. Early diagnosis can help bring about earlier intervention.
State Rep. Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, said the veto undermines the program and defies a promise he said he obtained from Pawlenty two weeks ago that he would sign the bill if certain changes were made and if it got significant support in the House. It passed with 103 votes.
“The veto is yet another example of your breach of a personal commitment to legislators,” Thissen wrote in a letter to Pawlenty.
Thissen added: “Your veto ignores the advice of the experts in your own Department of Health. The legislation was supported by the Commissioner of Health that you appointed last fall.”
Pawlenty said in his own letter accompanying the veto that the bill would have made some improvements related to collection of genetic information. But he said he wanted a requirement that the Department of Health obtain written consent if a sample is kept for future research.
“Government handling and storage of genetic information is a serious matter,” he wrote. “Removing the requirement for express authorization from parents regarding the long-term storage and potential future uses of genetic samples, especially when such storage and use is not related to newborn screening, is concerning.”
