PA in the WSJ

I've been catching up on the Wall Street Journal. A few Pennsylvania-related items this week:

"Republicans Reingnite Hot-button Issues" by Sarah Kueck and Brody Mullins (6/06/06) has this paragraph:

In Pennsylvania, where Republican Sen. Rick Santorum is in a close contest to keep his seat, Republicans have highlighted his support of the gay-marraige amendment to help separate him from Democrat Bob Casey Jr. Mr. Casey has blurred his differences with the incumbent on social issues, since he is one of the few prominent Democrats who, like Mr. Santorum, opposes abortion. Mr. Casey said in an April debate that he opposes gay marriage but wouldn't support a constitutional ban, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

This is not politically related but caught my eye anyway. "Plan to Build Chidren's DNA Database Raises Concerns," by Atonio Regalado. First two paragraphs:

Why do some children become obese when they eat junk food, while others don't? Which kids are most susceptible to asthma?

Attempting to answer such questions, the Children's Hopsital of Philadelphia, the nation's oldest pediatric medical center, is launching a major effort to collect and analyze detailed DNA profiles on as many as 100,000 of its child patients, the first effort to collect DNA on so many children.

Oooh, I don't know about this. According to the article:

Once the DNA is collected, patients won't be informed every time the data are studied. Philip R. Johnson, Jr., CHOP's chief scientific officer, says parents will sign forms that say "You can study my DNA and access my medical information." He says the wording is "very broad" to allow difference kinds of research.

This makes me very nervous....