Umbilical cord test aims to curb teen pregnancies

Mississippi will require doctors to collect umbilical cord blood from babies born to some young mothers, under a new law intended to identify statutory rapists and reduce the state’s rate of teenage pregnancy, the highest in the country.

The measure, which takes effect on July 1 and is the first of its kind in the country, targets certain mothers who were 16 or younger at the time of conception. Under the law, doctors and midwives will be expected to retrieve umbilical cord blood in cases where the father is 21 or older or when the baby’s paternity is in question.

Samples will be stored at the state medical examiner’s office for testing in the event that police believe the girl was the victim of statutory rape. But they will not automatically be entered into the state’s criminal DNA database.

Supporters of the law say it offers an important new tool to prevent older men from having sex with younger girls. Critics argue, however, that it violates privacy and will do little to deter teen pregnancy.

“We think it’s a very invasive law to a woman who is already in a vulnerable situation,” said Carol Penick, executive director of the Women’s Fund of Mississippi, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to women’s rights.

Governor Phil Bryant said: “ Unfortunately, part of this epidemic is driven by sexual offenders who prey on young girls. This measure provides law enforcement with another tool to help identify these men and bring them to justice.”

The state will pay for the costs of the collection and testing of cord blood.