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State Representative Paul Thissen
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-5375
For more information contact: Chris Shields 651-296-8873
Press/News Releases
THISSEN TO OPPOSE CHANGES IN NEWBORN SCREENING LAW
Lawmaker says screening may have saved son's life
ST. PAUL - State Representative Paul Thissen will be speaking in opposition to a bill changing Minnesota's newborn screening statute in the House Health Policy Committee, March 23, at 9:30 a.m. Thissen's son has Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH), a genetic disorder that was detected during a mandatory screening.
"Newborn screening may have saved my son's life," Thissen said. "When he was born, he looked and acted like a completely healthy baby. It turns out, he had a genetic condition that left untreated for a few weeks can be life threatening. Neither my wife nor I knew we carried the gene and so would never have known to be concerned. Fortunately, a mandatory newborn screening identified the problem and, a week after we brought our son home, our pediatrician called and got us back to the hospital. Today, Evan is a thriving, happy two-year old."
According to National Newborn Screening & Genetics Resource Center, in 2005, the Minnesota newborn screening program detected 75 infants with potentially fatal diseases allowing them to receive life-saving early intervention. The bill would change the screening law so parents would be asked if they want to have their children tested rather than given the option to say no to screening as the program allows now.
“The Minnesota Newborn Screening Program has successfully screened millions of Minnesota's children and has an excellent record of protecting privacy," says Mark McCann, supervisor of Minnesota’s newborn screening program at the Minnesota Department of Health Public Health Laboratory. “Parents already have the right to say ‘no’ via an informed consent to ‘opt-out’ of screening or to have their baby's blood sample and screening results destroyed.”
Thissen added, "Mandatory screening saves lives and saves money. Fear mongering serves no one's interests."
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