Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) commended the President for yesterday signing his bill to educate parents and health care providers about the importance of newborn screening, improve follow-up care for infants with an illness detected through newborn screening, and help states expand and improve their newborn screening programs. Dodd first introduced the “Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act” in 2002 and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) joined him as the lead cosponsor last year.

“This law will bring peace of mind to countless new parents and help guarantee better, brighter futures for millions of children,” said Dodd. “This has been a long battle, but one worth fighting if it saves the life of even one child. Today, we have scored a tremendous victory that will have a lasting impact on our nation’s children.”   

An estimated 4,000 babies are identified and treated each year for conditions that could threaten their lives or health, often preventing death and long-term disability. Unfortunately, parents are often unaware that while nearly all babies born in the U.S. undergo some newborn screening, the number and quality of tests vary from state to state. As a result, a child with a given disorder will most likely receive successful diagnosis and treatment if born in a state that tests for that disorder, but may suffer irreversible injury or death if born in another state that does not require such testing. Dodd and Hatch’s bill will provide grants and incentives to states to help implement screening of the full panel of disorders recommended by the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children.