Prenatal Genetic Testing
During a woman’s pregnancy, she is given the option to undergo testing to find out different information about her unborn child. Prenatal genetic testing has been around ever since the first historic test performed by Fuchs and Riis in 1956 on a sample of amniotic fluid. Prenatal genetic testing is often our first predictor of any health issues a baby might have and often a way to alleviate the fears of nervous future parents. Prenatal genetic testing originally was just used in order to identify the sex of the unborn child but over the decades evolved into extensive series of tests that are often used to screen for any birth defects and anomalies.
In 1956, John Edward raised the issue of genetic disorders before birth. Following this, in 1968, doctors tested the fetal cells in amniotic fluid and found the first genetic disorder, Trisomy 21, or down syndrome. From this point forward, genetic testing laboratories increased massively in size. There are a variety of different types of prenatal genetic testing that can be done for a woman based on the trimester she is currently in and the information she is trying to find out about her …show more content…
There have been numerous advancements in the past century in regards to this testing and there will most likely continue to be testing as there are new discoveries in this technology. However, we do need to consider whether the benefits of this testing outweigh the costs of it. If doctors continue to do this testing to prepare families for any sort of health issues their child may face, there also needs to be certain rules and laws surrounding what a family is allowed to do with that information. We must keep in mind that while this testing can bring so many great things and can benefit so many families, it also has the potential to harm just as
During a woman’s pregnancy, she is given the option to undergo testing to find out different information about her unborn child. Prenatal genetic testing has been around ever since the first historic test performed by Fuchs and Riis in 1956 on a sample of amniotic fluid. Prenatal genetic testing is often our first predictor of any health issues a baby might have and often a way to alleviate the fears of nervous future parents. Prenatal genetic testing originally was just used in order to identify the sex of the unborn child but over the decades evolved into extensive series of tests that are often used to screen for any birth defects and anomalies.
In 1956, John Edward raised the issue of genetic disorders before birth. Following this, in 1968, doctors tested the fetal cells in amniotic fluid and found the first genetic disorder, Trisomy 21, or down syndrome. From this point forward, genetic testing laboratories increased massively in size. There are a variety of different types of prenatal genetic testing that can be done for a woman based on the trimester she is currently in and the information she is trying to find out about her …show more content…
There have been numerous advancements in the past century in regards to this testing and there will most likely continue to be testing as there are new discoveries in this technology. However, we do need to consider whether the benefits of this testing outweigh the costs of it. If doctors continue to do this testing to prepare families for any sort of health issues their child may face, there also needs to be certain rules and laws surrounding what a family is allowed to do with that information. We must keep in mind that while this testing can bring so many great things and can benefit so many families, it also has the potential to harm just as