Prenatal genetic testing is beginning to become more at ease as mentioned by Carolyn Gonter in her 2004 article, The Expressivist Argument, Prenatal Diagnosis, and Selective Abortion: An Appeal to the Social Construction of Disability:
As the ease of prenatal genetic testing increases alongside an increase in the number and variety of conditions testable, so does the general view, both in medical and social communities, that prenatal testing is a logical extension of good prenatal care with the goal of healthy babies. (p. 1)
Some people argue having the screening performed on expecting mothers will be more harmful to the health of the unborn child and the mother, than helpful. Some may also be concerned about the psychological viewpoint and …show more content…
The NIPT should not be done on expecting mothers who are considered a high risk or already been tested for Down syndrome because it will present a false positive stating that the baby could have Down syndrome. According to Merryn Ekberg (2007) article, “the greatest benefits gained from prenatal genetic testing are the prevention of the birth of the child with chronic genetic disease and offering prospective parents a degree of liberation from reproductive risks.” (p. 67) The most important benefits of the prenatal genetic testing include: giving the mother the opportunity, or option to have an abortion, if there is any degree of being at risk in reproduction; it prevents the mother from giving birth to a child who is special needs and medically fragile; and it prevents emotional distress and financial struggle of giving birth to a child with genetic issues, or health conditions. It also gives the mother the opportunity to prepare or plan for the future of the child’s needs. There are several risks to having the prenatal genetic testing done which can include: the intervention of private lives, reproductive freedom loss, and discrimination of disability, sexual, racial conditions, and wrongful deaths. “With over 8000 single gene defects that affect at least 1% of the adult population, the demand for prenatal genetic testing is rapidly increasing.” (Ekberg, Merryn (2007), p. 68) …show more content…
The decision is based on the mother and the doctor whether or not the child should be genetically tested for any conditions. The decision to have the prenatal genetic testing perform could cause a big controversy on unethical and ethical issues. However, by making the decision to have the prenatal genetic screening done could cause psychological issues such as anxieties, making it very stressful in trying to decide. It can be very shocking or disturbing to some mothers who find out that their child could be born with abnormalities or a disability, and they do not know how to handle the situation. It can also be a hard decision to make in having to terminate a pregnancy because of a health condition of the unborn, or the unborn is not developing right. However, some mothers accept the fact their child could be born with abnormalities or a disability. It will be less stressful if the mother was educated and counseled on the risks preventions and maximize the benefits, to prevent unwanted babies from suffering from abuse or neglect because the intervention of the prenatal genetic screening was not performed, giving the mother options on what she wants to do with her
As the ease of prenatal genetic testing increases alongside an increase in the number and variety of conditions testable, so does the general view, both in medical and social communities, that prenatal testing is a logical extension of good prenatal care with the goal of healthy babies. (p. 1)
Some people argue having the screening performed on expecting mothers will be more harmful to the health of the unborn child and the mother, than helpful. Some may also be concerned about the psychological viewpoint and …show more content…
The NIPT should not be done on expecting mothers who are considered a high risk or already been tested for Down syndrome because it will present a false positive stating that the baby could have Down syndrome. According to Merryn Ekberg (2007) article, “the greatest benefits gained from prenatal genetic testing are the prevention of the birth of the child with chronic genetic disease and offering prospective parents a degree of liberation from reproductive risks.” (p. 67) The most important benefits of the prenatal genetic testing include: giving the mother the opportunity, or option to have an abortion, if there is any degree of being at risk in reproduction; it prevents the mother from giving birth to a child who is special needs and medically fragile; and it prevents emotional distress and financial struggle of giving birth to a child with genetic issues, or health conditions. It also gives the mother the opportunity to prepare or plan for the future of the child’s needs. There are several risks to having the prenatal genetic testing done which can include: the intervention of private lives, reproductive freedom loss, and discrimination of disability, sexual, racial conditions, and wrongful deaths. “With over 8000 single gene defects that affect at least 1% of the adult population, the demand for prenatal genetic testing is rapidly increasing.” (Ekberg, Merryn (2007), p. 68) …show more content…
The decision is based on the mother and the doctor whether or not the child should be genetically tested for any conditions. The decision to have the prenatal genetic testing perform could cause a big controversy on unethical and ethical issues. However, by making the decision to have the prenatal genetic screening done could cause psychological issues such as anxieties, making it very stressful in trying to decide. It can be very shocking or disturbing to some mothers who find out that their child could be born with abnormalities or a disability, and they do not know how to handle the situation. It can also be a hard decision to make in having to terminate a pregnancy because of a health condition of the unborn, or the unborn is not developing right. However, some mothers accept the fact their child could be born with abnormalities or a disability. It will be less stressful if the mother was educated and counseled on the risks preventions and maximize the benefits, to prevent unwanted babies from suffering from abuse or neglect because the intervention of the prenatal genetic screening was not performed, giving the mother options on what she wants to do with her