Microchips for dogs, but people too?

[gracielove]

I have read that those who are concerned about government intrusion are also concerned about the national ID that our lawmakers have decided that we need. The have been going over and over how to enforce a national ID without people being able to forge it. One option they have considered is the chip. I hope that would be met with a national outcry. We are not cattle that need to be branded but government is always trying to over step it's boundaries.

Both the shelters in our areas have scanners. The vets in our area use the same chip company so it has worked pretty well for animals that are chipped.

As for chipping kids? There are so many reasons why this is not necessary, including finger prints.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Yeah, I don't think I'm that crazy about a chip for a national ID or anything like that but as a way to locate lost people, kidnapped kids, the elderly, maybe even to track pedophiles, etc., and for medical information, they could work. As long as it doesn't hurt and doesn't cause bad things to happen internally. We're no doubt still light years away from ever talking a significant number of people into getting one. I think if my child were taken from her bedroom and there was some GPS property in a chip she could have under her shoulder blade or rib, I might wish she had one.

[chachi]

They wont inact mandatory chipping for ID reasons because the Christian community would be up in arms and there is no way they could enforce making everyone do it and the vast majority of people wouldnt

[southernbelle04]

I don't think I would want a microchipped implanted in me. Just freaks me out a little.

[navillusc]

Originally Posted by marlenemaria

My mother died of Alzheimer's 3 months ago.

She wandered onto the Turnpike and was struck by a car, died on impact.

I wish we had the opportunity to place a micro-chip on her, we could have found her sooner and saved her life.

She had a medic-alert bracelet but she would take it off all the time...

I am so sorry about your mother. I am not certain/confused as to how an embedded chip would have helped your mother, but that is so sad and tragic about your beloved mother...I am soooo sorry!

[kimp5]

If they could implant a safe lojack type device Id sign up my kids in a heartbeat..

[mbbruce1]

Ok now that I see your answers I feel better lol. It does t surprise me there were some sign me up answers. I can only pray that in mine or my kids lives they don't try to enforce it. Revelations in the Bible people! The mark of the devil....it makes me shudder to think we are truly at this point in America.

[Marhcarter]

I have been hoping for a GPS chip for the dog, but I think chipping people (not GPS, just information) is a good idea in certain ways although I do understand the prophesy as well as people feeling like the government is taking over their bodies. I am an ED nurse and I think being able to scan a patient when they come in and get a complete medical history, medications, allergies, etc would be most helpful, especially if that patient was unconscious or otherwise unable to convey that history. Where I live, people dont often have a good understanding of their medical history nor know their medications.

[Yorkiemom1]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

I don't like microchips in anything living its a foreign object which the body is known to reject and should not be in the body. I have heard a few stories of them causing cancer.

I am wondering what your opinion is, about organ transplants. Except for auto transplantation, organs while life saving gifts, are also foreign bodies and patients have to take anti-rejection meds to keep the organs from being rejected.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

I don't like microchips in anything living its a foreign object which the body is known to reject and should not be in the body. I have heard a few stories of them causing cancer.

Microchips are one of the safest procedures known. While it's true that they may have caused tumors in some dogs, it's not true that they have been shown to cause cancer. Some dogs will develop a tumor from any type of injection, even water. Many commercial breeders were fighting the mandatory microchip laws because they didn't want dogs traced back to them, and so they put out lots of propaganda concerning microchips and cancer. They even wrote about out study with rats getting cancer from microchips, when, in fact, a special tumor producing rat was used in the study because scientists wanted to know how the cancer started, they KNEW that some of the rats would get cancer that's why they used them, but they wanted to study the cancer in the beginning stages. However, this study wasn't meant to study the "safety", but only to study cancer and it's stages.

According to one microchip manufacturer, 10,000 pets are reunited with their people each month thanks to their microchips! Read more here about microchips and cancer. Do Microchips Cause Cancer?

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by Marhcarter

I have been hoping for a GPS chip for the dog, but I think chipping people (not GPS, just information) is a good idea in certain ways although I do understand the prophesy as well as people feeling like the government is taking over their bodies. I am an ED nurse and I think being able to scan a patient when they come in and get a complete medical history, medications, allergies, etc would be most helpful, especially if that patient was unconscious or otherwise unable to convey that history. Where I live, people dont often have a good understanding of their medical history nor know their medications.

I can see where this would be very helpful, but my fear is that the chips would quickly be used for storing all kinds of personal data that would be very easy for scanners to pick up and be used for not-so-good-intentions, or for uses that infringe on personal freedom and privacy. We already have criminals with the ability to snatch credit card info with scanners through a purse or wallet.

Just look at the internet, the way our info is collected, our surfing habits, and the way the info is used. I dislike anything that puts info into the hands of advertisers, or anyone willing to pay the most . . . and that will be one use that a human chip will eventually serve.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by marlenemaria

My mother died of Alzheimer's 3 months ago.

She wandered onto the Turnpike and was struck by a car, died on impact.

I wish we had the opportunity to place a micro-chip on her, we could have found her sooner and saved her life.

She had a medic-alert bracelet but she would take it off all the time...

I am very sorry for your loss of your mother, and I can see where a tracking device could help prevent a tragedy like your mother's.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by Marhcarter

I have been hoping for a GPS chip for the dog, but I think chipping people (not GPS, just information) is a good idea in certain ways although I do understand the prophesy as well as people feeling like the government is taking over their bodies. I am an ED nurse and I think being able to scan a patient when they come in and get a complete medical history, medications, allergies, etc would be most helpful, especially if that patient was unconscious or otherwise unable to convey that history. Where I live, people dont often have a good understanding of their medical history nor know their medications.

Yes, that's what I was saying that it could be so helpful for medical care and, hopefully, one day for locating the lost. Just think, ready, current meds, drug/other allergies, complete medical HX., blood type, NOK and even insurance info all right there on the scanner screen for ED docs and nurses - even the EMT's could use it.

We all walk around with so many foreign objects in us now, this little dude surely couldn't be much of a problem. Just think for injured children where the parents aren't available in the E.R. - the docs could have access to vital info right then. In a life or death situation, I'd like my child's doc to know if he had an antibiotic allergy or was a bleeder.

[Yorkiemom1]

Originally Posted by Marhcarter

I have been hoping for a GPS chip for the dog, but I think chipping people (not GPS, just information) is a good idea in certain ways although I do understand the prophesy as well as people feeling like the government is taking over their bodies. I am an ED nurse and I think being able to scan a patient when they come in and get a complete medical history, medications, allergies, etc would be most helpful, especially if that patient was unconscious or otherwise unable to convey that history. Where I live, people dont often have a good understanding of their medical history nor know their medications.

The nurse in me loves the idea of a chip for these reasons. I personally like the GPS/LoJack idea for people....think of the kids and elderly we could locate, hopefully before such horrible tragedies like what happened to "marlenemaria's" momma. If I had a child that was abducted, I dont care WHAT kind of information they gathered off that chip, as long as they could retrieve my child before he was murdered.......I also think when every single baby is born in this country, DNA should be gathered and filed, along with the prints that are taken. Then, later, any dead body found on the road, in a field, on the beach, in cars, etc could instantly be identified....imagine the relief or sense of closure for the family, whose family member has gone missing, and a body has been found....that body can be ID'd almost immediately.....I have really tried to think of any and all situations where me or anyone in my family should fear such a chip and the gathering of this information contained in them...I guess we live such transparent existances....I can not think of any information that would be contained on such a chip, as anything that needs hiding from anyone.....when I think of all the good that could be garnered from such a chip, it out weighs any negatives.....

[navillusc]

I understand how nice it would be for medical staff to have records on the other end of a scanner, how wonderful for families to have closure, how great to LoJack kids and pets that might be stolen and elderly that might wander off. Used for good...great ideas. But, I do not see how a chip other than LoJack would help in so many cases, and see how much harm could so easily be caused, and HIPPA would have to be expanded if humans were chipped cuz every RFID scanner could conceivably be changed and all your private medical history be on file at Wal-mart. Issues caused by retinal scans revealing medical conditions should have taught us something. Also, we have things like this working against our rights to privacy:

IRS faces class action lawsuit over theft of 60 million medical records | Healthcare IT News

I sure don't know where it will all end...I just hope it does.