House Bill 3437 aims to enhance the genetic privacy of newborn infants in West Virginia by establishing a new article in the state code that outlines specific requirements for parental consent regarding newborn genetic screening. The bill mandates that health care facilities or providers must obtain express, separate, written, voluntary, informed consent from a parent or guardian before conducting any genetic screening on a newborn. Additionally, it limits the amount of blood that can be collected for screening purposes and stipulates that blood samples and test results must be destroyed within three weeks unless explicit consent for retention is provided by the parents or guardians.

Furthermore, the bill emphasizes that any retention, sharing, or use of newborn blood spots and genetic screening test results requires informed consent, which must be clearly communicated without any threats of penalties for refusal. The legislation also prohibits the use of retained samples or results for purposes such as research or law enforcement without proper consent. Overall, House Bill 3437 seeks to ensure that parents have control over their newborns' genetic information and that their privacy is protected.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 16-4G-1, 16-4G-2, 16-4G-3, 16-4G-4