Religious Objection Won’t Stop Texas DNA Sampling
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Religious Objection Won’t Stop Texas DNA Sampling
A federal appeals court won’t stop the government from taking a DNA sample from a Texas prisoner who claims the process violates his religious rights.
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(December 30, 2008)-- A federal appeals court won’t stop the government from taking a DNA sample from a prisoner who claims the process violates his religious rights.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit made the decision Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by Russell Kaemmerling, who is in a Texas prison on a wire fraud conviction.

Federal law requires felons to give a DNA sample to be kept in a national law enforcement database.

Kaemmerling says that as an evangelical Christian, government DNA collection violates his beliefs of proper use of what he calls the building blocks of life, but the three-judge panel said DNA collection does not call for Kaemmerling to change his religious practices and doesn't hamper his exercise of his religion.

Latest Comments

Posted by: kay Location: waco on Dec 30, 2008 at 05:32 PM

weird, isn't that the same religion that forbids stealing? Neat how you can pick and choose which rules to obey
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