Chris Hafner-Eaton wrote:
>
> I was just reading Childbirth Instructor mag and saw an incredible
> advertisement demonstrating the depth of how sick, paranoid and incredibly
> dangerous our society is today.  There's a product advertised to collect
> DNA samples from your newborn and have them sent and stored at a long-term
> storage facility.  This isn't for "health" purposes; rather with the intent
> that in the event of "unfortunate situations involving children come in
> many forms--custodial disputes, abductions, ...."

Chris, I attended a relative's birth at a Seattle hospital a few weeks
ago (as her doula), and she was a bit shocked when they gave her a card
with three circles, each with a blood sample from her son's cord blood.
She was told that she should keep it until he was grown in case it were
ever needed for positive I.D.!  This is apparently standard procedure at
this hospital.

Alice Ziring, P.T., LLLL, Mercer Island, WA