HB 363: Protecting Baby Privacy

Libertas Institute Staff
| 10th Feb 2025

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Libertas Institute supports this bill

Staff review of this legislation finds that it aligns with our principles and should therefore be passed into law.

Your child’s genetic information belongs to your family—not the government. Yet, in recent years, newborn blood samples have been collected and stored without proper informed parental consent. Protecting privacy rights means ensuring parents have control over their child’s medical and genetic data.

House Bill 363, sponsored by Representative Pierruci, safeguards this right by allowing parents to opt out of newborn medical testing and DNA sampling. If parents consent to such testing, any samples collected during testing must be destroyed within 90 days unless medically necessary for the newborn’s treatment.

Libertas supports this bill because it reinforces privacy rights, ensures informed consent, and prevents government overreach into personal genetic data.