Scientologists Challenge Nebraska's Infant Blood Test Law

The Associated Press reports on a lawsuit in federal district court in Lincoln, Nebraska. Ray and Louise Spiering have asked a judge to declare unconstitutional Nebraska's law that requires screening of newborns for various metabolic diseases within 48 hours of birth. Testing involves pricking an infant's heel to draw five drops of blood. However, the Spierings, who are Scientologists, believe that babies should have seven days of silence after birth, and that drawing blood draw before then could cause the child to later experience extreme physical and mental trauma. In 2004, U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf granted the Spierings a temporary restraining order allowing them to delay their infant's screening until after seven days. Now they are asking the court to rule that the absence of a religious exemption in Nebraska's law should lead to its being invalidated.