What are the relevant clinical, social, cultural and/or other facts?
Renee has already had a miscarriage and was happy to be pregnant again. Even though there is no record of genetic counseling in her health record, Renee believes she has received enough information about Down syndrome to decide to terminate her pregnancy. Taylor is still a medical student with limited experience in the abortion clinic. Taylor has to decide between voicing her concerns or staying quiet and assume Renee and Renee’s husband have had enough time and information to make a logical decision to terminate her pregnancy.
Who are the stakeholders?
Stakeholders in this situation are Renee and Renee’s husband, who are making the decision to terminate their pregnancy, …show more content…
By asking what information they have been presented with, Taylor will be able to determine if she thinks Renee has been properly informed about Down syndrome with all possible outcomes and support from others necessary to make the best decision. If Taylor thinks Renee has not been properly informed, she should suggest options such as First Call or seeing a genetic counselor before continuing with the abortion. If Taylor thinks Renee has been properly informed, then she should continue with the procedure and respect Renee’s autonomy. Advantages of this approach include confirming that Renee has had informed consent. Disadvantages include violating Renee’s autonomy or causing Renee to lose trust in the doctor and possibly even health care as a …show more content…
While prenatal testing is available in health care, I believe it should be required for genetic counselors and programs like First Call to be offered to expecting parents with prenatal diagnoses of Down syndrome. I think prenatal testing is a way to prepare parents for any conditions their baby may have before the baby is born. “Persons or families with disabled children have claimed that a policy that encourages abortion of fetuses with genetic anomalies is a public statement that the lives of people with disabilities are worth less than those of the able-bodied.” (Dixon, 2008) I agree with this statement in that by healthcare providing such new improvements for non-invasive prenatal testing, that is in encouraging abortion. I agree with the abortion bans talked about in Szabo’s article that prevent abortions after genetic testing. A study done at the University of Oxford (Hanson, 2016) shows that a fetal heartbeat can be heard as early as 16 days after conception. Non-invasive fetal DNA tests are performed as early as 9 weeks of pregnancy, but diagnosis has to be confirmed via amniocentesis, which is done between weeks 15 and 20. (Szabo, 2013) At this stage of pregnancy when diagnosis of Down syndrome can occur, the baby has a heartbeat and I consider it wrong to terminate the pregnancy. As parents bringing life into the world, I believe it is a
Renee has already had a miscarriage and was happy to be pregnant again. Even though there is no record of genetic counseling in her health record, Renee believes she has received enough information about Down syndrome to decide to terminate her pregnancy. Taylor is still a medical student with limited experience in the abortion clinic. Taylor has to decide between voicing her concerns or staying quiet and assume Renee and Renee’s husband have had enough time and information to make a logical decision to terminate her pregnancy.
Who are the stakeholders?
Stakeholders in this situation are Renee and Renee’s husband, who are making the decision to terminate their pregnancy, …show more content…
By asking what information they have been presented with, Taylor will be able to determine if she thinks Renee has been properly informed about Down syndrome with all possible outcomes and support from others necessary to make the best decision. If Taylor thinks Renee has not been properly informed, she should suggest options such as First Call or seeing a genetic counselor before continuing with the abortion. If Taylor thinks Renee has been properly informed, then she should continue with the procedure and respect Renee’s autonomy. Advantages of this approach include confirming that Renee has had informed consent. Disadvantages include violating Renee’s autonomy or causing Renee to lose trust in the doctor and possibly even health care as a …show more content…
While prenatal testing is available in health care, I believe it should be required for genetic counselors and programs like First Call to be offered to expecting parents with prenatal diagnoses of Down syndrome. I think prenatal testing is a way to prepare parents for any conditions their baby may have before the baby is born. “Persons or families with disabled children have claimed that a policy that encourages abortion of fetuses with genetic anomalies is a public statement that the lives of people with disabilities are worth less than those of the able-bodied.” (Dixon, 2008) I agree with this statement in that by healthcare providing such new improvements for non-invasive prenatal testing, that is in encouraging abortion. I agree with the abortion bans talked about in Szabo’s article that prevent abortions after genetic testing. A study done at the University of Oxford (Hanson, 2016) shows that a fetal heartbeat can be heard as early as 16 days after conception. Non-invasive fetal DNA tests are performed as early as 9 weeks of pregnancy, but diagnosis has to be confirmed via amniocentesis, which is done between weeks 15 and 20. (Szabo, 2013) At this stage of pregnancy when diagnosis of Down syndrome can occur, the baby has a heartbeat and I consider it wrong to terminate the pregnancy. As parents bringing life into the world, I believe it is a