Mandatory Genetic Testing at Birth

Health
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The GRAND Act

(Genetic Record and National Documentation Act)

What is the GRAND Act?
The GRAND Act is a proposed law that would require hospitals to perform genetic testing on every baby at birth. The results would prove who the baby’s biological parents are, and this information would be included in an improved birth certificate. The birth certificate would also show the child’s family tree going back at least four generations if the information is available.

This law aims to prevent mistakes or disputes about who a child’s parents are, make sure that only biological parents are held responsible for child support, and provide accurate family medical history for the child.

How Would It Work?

1.	Genetic Testing at Birth:
•	When a baby is born, both parents would provide a genetic sample (like a cheek swab) to confirm parentage. The baby would also be tested.
•	This process ensures there’s no question about who the biological parents are.
2.	Improved Birth Certificate:
•	The new birth certificate would include a family tree showing the child’s parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents (if the information is available).
•	This document would be helpful for legal and medical purposes.
3.	National Database for Security:
•	The genetic information would be stored securely in a national database to prevent fraud or tampering. Access would be limited to authorized use, like legal disputes or medical emergencies.

Why Is This Important?

•	Fairness in Child Support: Parents would no longer have to worry about paying child support for a child that isn’t biologically theirs.
•	Medical Records: Families would have accurate genetic histories, which can help doctors identify potential health risks.
•	Avoiding Legal Fights: This would reduce costly and stressful court battles over paternity and parentage.

How Would It Be Paid For?

•	Covered by Insurance: Health insurance, including Medicaid, would pay for the genetic tests since they would be considered a routine medical service.
•	Government Support: Federal grants would help states set up secure databases and make sure hospitals can perform the tests.
•	Small Fee for Certificates: Families might pay a small extra fee ($25–$50) for the new birth certificates, which would help states cover costs.

What About Privacy?

•	Strict laws would protect your data. The government would only use the information for legal or medical purposes, and there would be serious consequences for anyone who accessed the data without permission.

What Would This Solve?

•	Parents won’t get stuck paying child support for kids that aren’t theirs.
•	People will have better access to their family medical history.
•	Family courts will save time and money by avoiding paternity disputes.
•	Families will have accurate records of their ancestry for future generations.

What Happens Next?

If passed, hospitals and state governments would have two years to prepare for the new system. After that, all new birth certificates would use this method.

The GRAND Act is designed to make parenthood clearer, family records stronger, and our legal system fairer for everyone.

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Wouldn’t this set up everyone to be excluded from necessary insurance coverage in the future bc of pre existing conditions found on a genetic test?

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With my plan, The GRAND Act would need to align with laws like the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which already protect against using genetic information to deny coverage or raise premiums. It could strengthen these protections by explicitly barring insurers from accessing or using genetic data and enforcing strict penalties for misuse. With proper safeguards, the Act would focus on lineage and parentage without risking insurance discrimination.

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lobbying for 23&me by any chance?.. they are out of business AFAIK

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I see your point. I disagree with mandatory genetic testing at birth. It opens the door for too much personal information being available to the government and entities that could use it for their own agenda.

Optional and reimbursed genetic testing yes. Also with genetic testing there needs to be genetic counseling. We simply lack the medical and nursing staff trained in this in the US.

Our genetics clinic at a prominent University hospital has a 6-9 month waiting period for genetic testing appointments. And this is for a relatively small clientele. It still hasn’t recovered from the backlog created by COVID shutdowns.

As a provider who recommends genetic testing for my specialty clinic, the majority of patients seem to decline and have strong personal feelings about genetic testing. There will be cultural barriers as minorities are often mistrustful of actions like this, viewing them as “experimental” and potentially harmful. This is due to the mixed history of medical research on minorities early on in modern medicine. I think this type of policy would be highly resisted with not much gain for the individual in the end.

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I simply do not like this idea of forcing people to do this. It can be voluntary. Forcing is too invasive and I can see it being used for the wrong reasons.

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No, absolutely not. No mandated procedures for all, ever. Besides, such data banks are so prone to abuse. Already we see it used in police work. Medical procedures and data should neverever be shared. The promise of confidentiality has loooong been breached by creating digital records which can be hacked and harvested and shared… . Even records from pharmacies aren’t safe, and it’s easy to infer the diagnosis when you know what medicines are prescribed. And when you die, it always shocks me how quickly all is revealed to the public, from “history of.mental disorders” to naming major illnesses. Data banks are constantly being enriched by our mailing in stool samples to some unknown lab, or by innocently paying to study one’s own ancestry. In fact, we don’t know if hospitals and doctors offices haven’t already been using fluids from us for genetic testing. I think creating dossiers about people, and getting us to even pay for it, for unknown purposes, is a crime.

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