Utah Becomes First State to Put Parents in Control of Baby DNA

CCHF urges other states to follow suit as lawsuits continue nationwide

ST. PAUL, MN, UNITED STATES, August 19, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF) is applauding Utah lawmakers for passing HB 363, a first-in-the-nation law requiring parental consent before newborn DNA can be stored or used for research. The new law requires the Utah Department of Health and Human Services to obtain written parental permission before retaining a child’s blood sample beyond the initial screening. Without consent, the sample must be destroyed after completion of testing.

“For years, state health departments have secretly stockpiled and shared Baby DNA without parental knowledge or permission,” said Twila Brase, RN, PHN, CCHF Co-founder and President. “Utah has taken a critical step to protect the privacy of every child and restore the rights of parents to decide what happens to their baby’s genetic blueprint.”

Across the country, parents have taken their states to court for taking, storing, and using their children’s DNA:
• Minnesota parents sued in 2009, leading to destruction of more than 1 million newborn DNA samples.
• Texas parents sued twice, including a 2010 settlement requiring the destruction of 5.3 million newborn bloodspot cards.
• Indiana parents sued in 2014 over unconsented storage.
• Michigan parents sued in 2018 and launched stolenblood.com to expose the practice. They won, but in June 2025, an appeals court overturned the decision. The parents will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
• New Jersey parents sued to stop state storage of newborn DNA and the NJ Office of the Public Defender sued to stop law enforcement from accessing newborn DNA without parent consent. Just last week, a judge ruled against the parents.

Earlier this summer, the New Jersey Department of Health announced a policy shift reducing its retention of newborn DNA from 23 years to two years, though litigation is ongoing.

These lawsuits highlight a growing national battle over storage and use of newborn DNA.

“The government cannot take DNA from adults without consent unless the adult is a criminal,” Brase said. “DNA is the government’s ultimate identifier. Without consent laws, every child becomes an adult vulnerable to lifelong genetic surveillance. Utah is leading the way, and we call on other states to follow its example.”

Until now, Utah law allowed Baby DNA to be stored for more than 90 days and made it the property of the state laboratory. HB 363 ends automatic storage and use by requiring consent and restoring parental control. CCHF has tracked every state’s storage and use policies. Updated 2024 retention charts are available here: Baby DNA State Charts.

For more information or to schedule an interview with Twila Brase, contact Alexandra de Scheel at media@cchfreedom.org

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About Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom:

Since 1998, CCHF has existed to protect patient and doctor freedom. As a national, independent, non-partisan, non-profit health freedom organization, CCHF maintains a patient-centered, privacy-focused, free-market perspective. For more information, visit: www.cchfreedom.org.

Alexandra de Scheel
Citizens' Council for Health Freedom
media@cchfreedom.org
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