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Senate committee advances bill broadening newborn-screening exemptions
Summary
The Idaho Senate Health and Welfare Committee voted to send Senate Bill 11-79 to the floor with a "do pass" recommendation after debating proposed changes that would authorize nonreligious exemptions and add a limited medical-certification exception to newborn screening and related treatments such as the vitamin K shot and eye ointment.
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee voted to send Senate Bill 11 79 to the floor with a “do pass” recommendation after a lengthy debate over parental exemptions and a medical-certification exception for newborn screening and related postnatal treatments.
Sen. Camille Blaylock, senator from District 11, introduced the bill as a trailer to Senate Bill 10 14, which moved existing newborn-screening rules into Idaho code. “Early detection of these diseases can be life saving,” Blaylock said, describing heel-prick blood tests used to screen infants for conditions such as phenylketonuria, hypothyroidism and cystic fibrosis.
The bill would broaden exemptions beyond religious objections to allow parents to decline newborn screenings and certain treatments on…
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