Some things shouldn't be do-it-yourself projects.

Rape-kit testing ought to be on that list, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel argued in a warning issued Thursday to the maker of an at-home rape kit test called the MeToo Kit.

The kits are produced by an upstart Brooklyn, New York-based company, and claim to be the "first-ever sexual assault evidence kit for at-home use."

The company says on its website that its tests will be "able to collect DNA samples and other tissues, which upon testing can provide the necessary factual evidence required in a court of law to identify a sexual predator’s involvement with sexual assault."

Nessel said there are plenty of flaws with the notion of an at-home rape kit, and alleges that the company is in violation of several sections of Michigan’s Consumer Protection Act.

“This company is shamelessly trying to take financial advantage of the ‘Me Too’ movement by luring victims into thinking that an at-home-do-it-yourself sexual assault kit will stand up in court,” Nessel said in a news release. “Nothing could be further from the truth. Career prosecutors know that evidence collected in this way would not provide the necessary chain of custody."

Nessel's spokeswoman, Kelly Rossman-McKinney, explained that the chain of custody for evidence in court cases must be carefully guarded.

"It's a very rigorous protected way in which the evidence, by the time it gets to court, has always been in appropriate hands and hasn't been tampered with in any way, shape or form," she said.

Nessel also noted that it's unlikely any lab that the MeToo Kit uses to process tests will have access to the Combined DNA Index System, known as CODIS. It's a national DNA database created and maintained by the FBI, which would significantly limit the ability to identify unknown perpetrators or repeat offenders.

But that's not the only problem with the at-home kits, said Lore Rogers, staff attorney with the Division of Victim Services at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

"I think it's always important to think about ways in which we can empower survivors, make sure that we respect and honor their autonomy and their privacy," Rogers said. "The extent that the kit would do that, it's a laudable goal. The problem is that the negatives outweigh the ability of the kit to do that. So much of what happens during the administration of a sexual assault forensic exam is not just collection of evidence, but it's identifying injury, treating injury. ... It includes photographing in ways that can visualize internal tears and lacerations that can occur during a sexual assault. That could not happen with an at-home sexual assault kit."

At-home test kit users also wouldn't get treatment for prevention of possible pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and trauma from the assault,Rogers said. They also don't get the counseling, advocacy and support that automatically comes to anyone who gets a forensic rape kit test by a trained medical provider in Michigan, she said.

"Those are the things that can help them understand what's going to happen next in the legal system and advise them what their rights are. Without that, the victim/survivor wouldn't get that information."

Worse, Rossman-McKinney said, is the idea that victims of sexual assault will have to pay for the MeToo Kit tests when Michigan offers free forensic rape-kit testing in a medical setting.

"What's important to us is that people in Michigan know that the medical test is free," said Rossman-McKinney. "If you report within 120 hours — that's a lot of time, five days — you don't have to pay a thing. You get the evidence kit that is going to hold up in court because it's part of the evidence chain, you're going to get all the forensic support, plus you're going to have an advocate by your side."

And even if a victim seeks an examination after five days, Rossman-McKinney said the test is still free.

It doesn't appear as if MeToo Kit is offering direct-to-consumer sales just yet, according to the company's website. Rather, it aims to sell the kits to pharmacies and universities, saying on its website: "Every campus must have a plan. Every campus must have resources for sexual assault survivors. Every campus needs MeToo Kit."

The company does offer to put on a waiting list anyone who tries to directly purchase a kit on its website, though it doesn't disclose the price.

The Free Press contacted MeToo Kit, and asked several questions through email. The company responded by saying, "We are interested in talking to you, however, since this is a legal matter, we cannot give any comment/statements until our legal counsel has worked through this."

The Free Press also sent messages via LinkedIn to MeToo Kit's founders, Madison Campbell and Liesel Vaidya. Campbell acknowledged she received the message but said only that she would respond soon.

Michigan could be the first state to take legal action against the MeToo Kit company, Rossman-McKinney said.

"At this point, we believe we're the first state to move forward with this," she said. "We just learned about this website yesterday. We learned about it from a couple of career prosecutors, including prosecutors involved in the (Larry) Nassar case and in clergy abuse. They were horrified.

"We're actually working on a consumer alert notification that we will be sending out to college campuses around the state. We're really concerned."

More:MSU: Nassar deserved criminal penalties, but we can't be held liable for his sexual assaults

More:Michigan State Acting President Satish Udpa apologizes to Nassar survivors

Angela Povilaitis, a former assistant attorney general who led the prosecution of Nassar, the sports medicine doctor who sexually assaulted hundreds of female athletes at Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics, said the claims on the MeToo Kit's website — which says the product "empowers survivors of sexual assault to document crucial DNA evidence within their chosen space of safety and in a timely manner" — also is troubling.

"There's a false narrative that if you go through the normal traditional process that you're somehow forced into a system that you're not ready for," said Povilaitis, who now is a staff attorney with the MDHHS Division of Victim Services.

"Under the current status of the law and practice, a victim who comes to a hospital or nurse examiner's office makes the decision about whether to release that test to law enforcement. So you can get all those great services, but you can also make the decision to not release that kit for testing, and you can chose not to submit it to police."

The kits are held for at least one year after they are collected, Povilaitis said, and the survivor of sexual assault can choose when or whether that kit is tested.

Rogers agreed, saying: "I was very disturbed by some of the blanket statements made about the process that weren't accurate and that could turn away survivors because they would be concerned that their privacy wouldn't be respected or that they couldn't determine what happens to their kit."

She noted that 75% of health care facilities and law enforcement offices in Michigan are now using a tracking system that allows sexual assault survivors to follow where their rape kit is in the testing process. And, she said, "we're working to get the remaining 25% on board."

It's unclear whether the company has already sold any MeToo Kits in Michigan. Nessel's office is seeking investigative subpoenas to determine how the kits are being marketed and whether any have been sold here, Rossman-McKinney said.

“There is absolutely no benefit here for victims,” Nessel said. “In addition, some of the pitches the company is making actually demonize the process that allows the justice system to work. A victim should never be discouraged from reporting an assault and seeking the professional care he or she needs.”

The company has 10 days to respond to the state Attorney General's Office, which Nessel's letter explains, must include "an agreement that the company will not sell these sexual assault kits to Michigan consumers."

Contact Kristen Jordan Shamus: 313-222-5997 or kshamus@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @kristenshamus.