El Salvador passed a law that requires newborns to submit their DNA to a government-wide database. President Nayib Bukele claims genetic verification is necessary to ensure the paternity of the child. “This is not a law against women, but against lies: there will be no more fathers raising children who are not their own,” the president declared. Yet, this initiative has become global. Of course, the majority of governments will not label these initiatives as DNA collection.
England’s NHA will offer whole-genome sequencing to every newborn beginning in 2026. The initiative is part of a 10-year “Generation Study” pilot program that aims to have every baby’s DNA sequenced at birth. The government claims that the data will be used to assess health risks and enable early preventative care.
The NHS will use blood or umbilical cord samples to collect data that will then be handed over to the government’s AI software that identifies disease risk. Everyone’s individual DNA genome will be analyzed and stores by the government. The National Genomic Research Library plans to use this data for future research.
The US conducts a heel prick test at birth as well to test for genetic defects. Parental consent is not required as it is considered standard care. A few states do permit parents to opt-out of this testing on religious grounds. However, the US has not stated that would be compiling a database to store biometric data.
Italy, Spain, Australia, India, Israel, and most developed countries perform some form of blood testing at birth, but that data was never collected and stored by the government until now. Governments will say that advanced technology is allowing scientists to study genetic conditions to ensure the optimal health of the nation. No one agreed to be part of a study or to permit the government to collect their child’s health information. Governments are labeling children as their own from the moment they enter the world. Unique data on every human born within the health care system will be permanently stored and used as governments see fit.