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States Under Pressure on Newborn Tests  view story
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
AP's LAURAN NEERGAARD - - New York Newsday
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Gracie Clay's mother says her child could still be alive had she been born in, say, Mississippi instead of Georgia: Which state you live in determines whether your newborn is tested for several dozen rare but devastating inherited diseases.
Many of these illnesses, like the one that killed 19-month-old Gracie last February, can be treated easily if parents know in time. Testing requires a single drop of blood. But many states mandate newborn testing for only a fraction of the diseases.
Next week, a government advisory committee is expected to move to end the geographic disparity, as it debates whether every state should test every newborn for 30 genetic illnesses.
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