Apparently it is not enough for Michigan to take blood samples from infants and keep them on file indefinitely — now the state is running routine background checks on all new parents.
Each of the parents of the 140,000 or so babies born in Michigan will have their names compared against a database of 34,000 parents whose parental rights for other children have been terminated. Parents whose name is found in the database can expect a visit from social services and possibly even the police.
Aside from the obvious problem that such databases tend to contain numerous (and often ludicrous) errors, how did we as a society get to the point where the state essentially considers all new parents potential child abusers? What’s next? Licensing and 24-hour waiting periods for children?
Source:
State running background checks on new parents. Associated Press, March 23, 2001.