A New Zealand practice that has been in place since 1969 to help identify and diagnose metabolic diseases in infants has recently undergone scrutiny as parents discovered that bloodspot samples from infancy can be later used to aid police investigations under “exceptional circumstances,” Stuff reports. Judith Furlong discovered such samples were used to identify the body of her daughter without her knowledge or consent, calling the practice “invasive,” adding that she was unaware such samples would be kept after birth. Unless parents apply to have the bloodspot samples returned after being used for medical practices, they are kept and can be used for research. Chris Watson, whose son’s murder investigation utilized bloodspot data, accused the practice of providing “a DNA database by stealth.”
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