WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER, Governor

Ch. 576

CHAPTER 576
(Senate Bill 317)

AN ACT concerning

Hospitals - Blood Samples Identification
of Newborn Infants

FOR the purpose of requiring certain hospitals to take a blood
sample from the umbilical cord of certain infants in a

certain manner by a certain time; requiring the hospital

that takes a blood sample under this Act to store the sample
for a certain period of time; institutions to perform at
least one of the specified newborn infant identification
procedures; requiring the Secretary to adopt certain
regulations; providing certain immunity to certain
institutions under certain circumstances; requiring certain
personnel of an institution to be trained in all infant
identification procedures used by the institution; defining
certain terms; and generally relating to the taking of a
blood sample from the umbilical cord of an infant for the
purpose of identification the identification of newborn
infants.

BY adding to

Article - Health - General

Section 20-401 and 20-402 to be under the new subtitle

"Subtitle 4. Infants' Blood Samples Identification

of Newborn Infants"
Annotated Code of Maryland
(1987 Replacement Volume)

Preamble

WHEREAS, Two newborn infants were kidnapped from Maryland
hospitals during 1987; and

WHEREAS, Infants have also been kidnapped from the hospitals
of other states; and

WHEREAS, Umbilical cord blood samples are the only

verifiable form of identification of infants; and

WHEREAS, The process of obtaining and temporarily storing
blood samples from the umbilical cord is not costly or unduly
burdensome to hospitals; and

WHEREAS, The ability to positively identify kidnapped
infants would serve the interests of the people of Maryland and
warrants the particular attention of the medical and law
enforcement communities; now, therefore,

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