New Lawsuit Alleges Michigan Stole Blood From Newborns

Saginaw County attorney Phillip Ellison has filed a federal lawsuit claiming Michigan's practice of drawing and storing infant blood is unconstitutional. A group of Michigan parents is behind the lawsuit.

According to NBC25, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says that the blood of more than 5 million people is being stored, that is around half of Michigan's population. These people were born in Michigan in July of 1984 or later. According to MLive, some of this blood may be used for medical testing.

The reason for the lawsuit is not to stop collecting blood from infants and stop medical testing. It is to give parents control over whether or not blood from their baby is used. Michigan has drawn blood from infants for decades to test for medical conditions. It wasn't until 1984 that they started storing the blood for up to 100 years.

If you were born between 1987 and 2010 you can contact the state and ask that your blood samples be destroyed, or not used for research. If you have a child born between 1987 and 2010 you can make the request on their behalf. If you do not request that your blood samples be destroyed, the Mi Department of Health and Human Services will store them indefinitely.