NHS Plans to DNA test all babies in England - HUGE implications for TERFs and TRAs!!

[DiamondThrone]

The TRAs already hate Wes Streeting - this is going to make them hate him more.

Imagine the implications -

• No more "assigned sex at birth" nonsense
• No "intersex" nonsense - there will be males with DSDs, and females with DSDs (just as there are now, of course, IRL)
• No clownfish humans
• etc

I wonder if they are planning to let parents opt out of the testing? I haven't read all the coverage yet.

NHS plans to DNA test all babies in England to assess disease risk - BBC News

Early diagnosis would have meant that his epilepsy would have been treated earlier which would have meant less brain damage and a higher level of functioning. Tbh he was diagnosed at 3 months so it may not have made much difference.

Huge implications for all of us. And not all good. It's very concerning.

It isn't what I thought first of. Bizarre of you to assume that.

There is some more info on the new screening program here https://www.genomicsengland.co.uk/initiatives/newborns
Although that doesn't exactly put my mind at ease regarding use of the data. It does at least look like you can opt out of future data usage if you want.

So the government, via the NHS, is building a DNA data base of every English person - because every baby. This is sinister or something to worry about - what use will be made of the DNA? And governments and priorities change so once that DNA is on record it can be used for anything - remember, no parliament can bind its successor. It's big brother in a nurse's scrubs!
Mind, the TRAs will hate it. Maybe they will fight against it - doing something worthwhile for a change.

@Grammarnut everyone is allowed to opt out. It isn't mandatory.

It would be far easier to frame someone for financial crimes than stage and prove a violent crime nearby at a moment with no alibi and no other evidence of involvement.

And besides if they wanted to frame someone already in that way all they would need is someone to give an eyewitness statement, plant the DNA in the same way and then order a DNA test because of the false eye witness being probable cause.

Paranoia over that being slightly easier would definitely be outweighed by the number of actual crimes which could be solved - and the deterrent police holding DNA would hold to potential first time offenders.

There's already many US cases solved by tracing family genealogy, this would just make it a quicker outcome with less chance of a second victim. I don't know if UK police are doing family genealogy or not yet but its been successful catching multiple disgusting criminals in the US.

I haven't looked into this in detail but I suspect the reporting is massively over calling this - it would be wildly outside guidelines to test for anything that isn't treatable in early life. As a physician seeing adults I do not do pre-symptomatic testing without genetic counselling - which means that is you have symptoms of a condition I'll test for it, but if you are at risk but have no symptoms I'll refer for genetic counselling before testing. I definitely would not test a child unless they had symptoms OR a result would change their medical treatment. The NHS does not routinely test for risk factors unless it changes management. So I'm very suspicious of these media reports and suspect there is a lot of exaggeration going on.

There is truth in that - some would be charged more…

but also perhaps an unintended fallacy…

• claims for illness will remain the same - the human body will have the same illnesses we will just know who sooner
• so the total payout remains the same
• so the income needed remains the same
• so if some are accurately charged more, then others logically should be charged less

however

• early diagnosis may lead to early prevention
• so less illness overall
• so less income overall needed
• could mean that insurance costs drop

That is not how the insurance business works.
Its a for profit business.

If there is a risk the insurance company will not cover the risk unless forced to by law.

So the individual will not get illness cover.

The people without illness will not get savings from reduced policy payout costs.

Any saving will be marked as shareholder profit.

If the UK police have an offender from whom it is legitimate to take DNA then they will test this DNA against unsolved crime data. This was how the 'shoe rapist' was caught. His cousin committed a crime - can't remember what - and bingo!
However, it does not justify holding a DNA database on everyone. You speak of crime and that it would be a deterrant. How much of a deterrant would it be against legitimate protestors or those who do not toe the current status quo? Very chilling. It's what tyrannies love.

There is no mention though that they will test for sex, or even record it if they do. So unless they also specifically record sex, I'm not sure how this is a win for us.

'Opting out' means things happen by default because people forget or just don't bother to opt out. This is why, when anti-trade union legislation is passed it involves workers 'opting in' to something - they have to make a positive choice and this is known to lower take-up and destroys the representative power of a union. So this DNA collection will only be safe if parents have to 'opt in', that is make a positive choice.
If it's 'opt out' - a negative choice - most people will go along with it because 'it's not important' etc.
Of course, if it's 'opt in' then it isn't going to be comprehensive - so government will say it is not going to be helpful. The correct response to that is 'good' because it is now clear what this is all about, and to make sure it is 'opting in' that is required.

The Department for Health and Social Care said that genomics - the study of genes - and AI would be used to "revolutionise prevention" and provide faster diagnoses and an "early warning signal for disease".

I am very concerned about this - storing DNA data for every individual born and 'assessing their risk' for various diseases? You can have genetic risks for diseases that never manifest at all. Pharmaceutical industry could have a field day with this giving medication for diseases someone will never develop.

In the UK the NHS provides free healthcare so health insurance is irrelevant.

The other health system that I know well is that of France. The state covers 70% of health costs & most opt for a mutuelle insurance to cover the other 30%. The cost of the mutuelle rises with age but the insurance companies are forbidden to discriminate or exclude because of existing conditions. Bottom line is that you pay a modest flat rate insurance premium. A rule of thumb is that the cost per month is the individual's age in euros i.e. if you are forty you pay €40/month if you are sixty it's €60/month.

God I wish we had the French system. I am so tired of people being insistent that the NHS is "the envy of the world". It really isn't. If it were, more countries would have adopted its model!

Interesting factoid - the NHS is the largest employer in Europe. Top 10 largest employer in the whole world.

A baby isn't able to opt out. I don't trust the government or the NHS on any of this. It's all part of the bigger picture of control.

Well, yes. Just like a baby can't opt out of a heel prick test, or vaccinations.

France spends considerably more than the UK on healthcare. Part of the extra of that is swallowed up in the costs of administering an insurance based healthcare system but the NHS would be amazing if we spent as much on healthcare as do the French.
The French system isn't perfect. There are plenty of GPs & dentists in Paris or the Côte d'Azur but medical deserts in many rural area where they are impossible to find.

It is a completely different level of data though isn't it? I think people should think very carefully before handing their children's DNA to the UK and ANother government or private enterprise.

We already do.

What happens to your baby's newborn blood spot test card

After being tested, blood spot cards are stored for at least 5 years and may be used:

• to check the result or for other tests recommended by your doctor
• to improve the newborn blood spot test programme
• for research to help improve the health of babies and their families in the UK (this will not identify your baby and you will not be contacted)

Newborn blood spot test - NHS