DNA Testing of Pregnant Teenagers
A Florida bill to require DNA testing of pregnant girls under the age of 14 has been voted down. The bill would have asked doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers (including abortion providers) to collect DNA from the girl and her fetus for the purpose of identifying the father for prosecution. Sex with minors under the age of 16 in Florida is a crime.
Opponents are concerned that:
- Young pregnant girls would be discouraged from seeking healthcare for fear their boyfriends would be prosecuted. (Although I wonder how many teenagers keep up with legislation surrounding pregnancy.)
- Confidentiality between a doctor and a patient would be violated. (Healthcare providers already have to report instances of child abuse although presumably they’d use their best judgment as to whether the teenager engaged in consensual sex or not.)
- Sex between two teenagers would be criminalized. (ARGH. As a parent, I dread having to face this issue in the future.)
More on the bill at A Bird and a Bottle.
Tags: DNA, dna-testing, Genes, genetics, genome, health, pregnancy, teenage-pregnancyRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Genetics and the Law
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3 opinions for DNA Testing of Pregnant Teenagers
Brian at babybiotechs.com
Apr 20, 2007 at 4:13 pm
What about the problem with forcing women (girls) to have an amniocentesis? It’s not like their is zero risk to the baby while having one. Or were they going to wait and test the baby if the mother carried to term?
Marko
Jun 5, 2007 at 4:02 pm
That idea seems a quite radical. Criminalizing sex between two teenagers… I can already see the legal battles coming.
KayT
Oct 19, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Criminalizing two teenagers… hmm. It doesn’t seem practical. It’s up to the teenagers. They should do what they want really.
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