Ethical Issues and DNA Mapping Project

WASHINGTON — Little Amelia Sloan is a pioneer: Shortly after her birth, scientists took drops of the healthy baby’s blood to map her genetic code.

Holly Sloan and her baby Amelia.

Amelia is part of a large research project outside the nation’s capital that is decoding the DNA of hundreds of infants. New parents in a few other cities soon can start signing up for smaller studies to explore if what’s called genome sequencing — fully mapping someone’s genes to look for health risks — should become a part of newborn care.

It’s full of ethical challenges.