ipl-logo

Ethical Issues With Prenatal Genetic Testing

1862 Words8 Pages

Prenatal genetic testing and screening allows physicians to determine genetic defects in fetuses. There are two different types of testing that can be done; diagnostic and screening. Screening can only predict or tell the chance that a fetus has certain birth defects. Diagnostic tests can actually determine whether or not a baby has these certain defects. Most testing is done between weeks 11 and 22 of pregnancy. Screening tests include; nuchal translucency (NT) ultrasound, integrated screen, and quad screen. The nuchal translucency ultrasound screens for the chances of a chromosome abnormality by measuring the small space behind a fetuses neck. Both the integrated screen and quad screens are done by testing blood samples to predict the chance …show more content…

When parents elect to have children, is it morally acceptable for them to choose what kind of child they will have?
Ethical Issues
• Relativism - right and wrong actions vary between persons.
• Deontology - There is a duty as parents to care for a child, regardless of its health state.
• Teleology - actions are based solely on the consequences of our actions.
• Respect for persons - Fetuses with defects should not be seen as having less value.
• Self-determination - people are free to make decisions based on their own reasoning.
• Veracity - to make decisions, people need to have all relevant information.
• Principle of utility – what will produce the greatest amount of happiness?
• Catholic moral tradition – “commitment to the promotion and defense of human dignity from conception to death” (Bennett-Woods, 2005).
• Kantian ethics – categorical imperative.
Ethical Questions
• Is it prejudicial to determine whether or not a fetus should be allowed life based on whether they will have certain disabilities or defects?
• Should these tests be available to everyone for any reason, or should they be only done when indicated they are needed or there is a …show more content…

It should not be routine. However I do not believe that diagnostic testing should be done in all cases. Only when there is a necessity or a known risk. Such as when screening shows a high probability or when the parents have or have family history of specific genetic defects or diseases. Unnecessary worry or concern to parents can happen when screening is done. It can predict a possibility but not a guarantee of a defect or disease. Many parents I believe would chose to abort a fetus based on only probabilities, or simply because they want the guarantee of a healthy child. However, if parents feel that they would not be willing or able to care for a child with these defects that can be screened and tested for, then the tests should be made available to them early as possible so they can make a decision about abortion or adoption vs. keeping the baby. To me, the least harm is done both to parents and innocent child to have an abortion rather than have a child that you cannot or will not care

Show More
Related

Merigan Sanders Case Study Essay

552 Words | 3 Pages

Sanders found it unnecessary for a chorionic Villus sampling to find out if her child had a chromosome deformities. She also opt of taking the maternal blood screening test, because she was not at risk (M. Sanders, personal communication, January 30, 2016). The Amniocentesis test help deal with a pregnancy if a disorder is found. Fetal MRI are used for a detail image of the child and often use for to better detect abnormalities. The chorionic villus sampling is use to find genetic defects.

Read More

Mary Anne Warren's On The Moral Permissibility Of Infanticide

625 Words | 3 Pages

Even today, there are many moral and philosophical issues that divide the United States because they create very polarized opinions and beliefs. One such philosophical issue is the moral permissibility of infanticide. Mary Anne Warren, a philosopher, presents her liberal yet controversial views on the issue of infanticide in the postscript of her article, On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion. However, the anti-infanticide arguments pose problems for Warren’s position because they justify the immorality of infanticide through the physical similarity in resemblance of neonates to human beings. These arguments also claim that the destruction of a viable infant is needless because even if the infant’s biological parents reject the infant, there are many other parents who are willing to adopt and nurture that infant.

Read More

Summary Of Failure Of Imagination By Marta Soniewicka

1257 Words | 6 Pages

Backed by numerous experiences in the field and high credentials, Soniewicka is well equipped to speak on the subject of the ethics of prenatal testing and selective abortion. Where Soniewicka spends the majority of her writing is within the use of logos. Within her journal she breaks down four leading arguments in the selective abortion bioethical debate: utilitarian, principle of procreative beneficence, the rights based approach, and the recognition based approach (Soniewicka 2015). She provides clear and concise explanations that make following her line of thought easy. One such example is her refutation of the utilitarian belief that parents owe a moral obligation to ensure the maximum happiness possible for future children.

Read More

Rett's Syndrome Research Paper

1299 Words | 6 Pages

And finally 3. It is an expensive process because of the how selective it is, therefore would not be economically reasonable. Prenatal screening is recommended to women who have a family history of Rett’s Syndrome, but it is rare for the disorder to occur more than once in a

Read More

SNC Charmain Weaknesses

369 Words | 2 Pages

3.1 SWOT Understanding the real work of a public relations practitioner requires much analysis, thus a brief SWOT analysis has been created to showcase my understanding of Charmaine’s role at SNC Lavalin. The strengths of a PR practitioner lies in his/her ability to manipulate the reputation of an organization, to build relationships and network with people, to have outstanding written and oral communication skills that represent your company, and to be the individual with the ability to save your organization from a crisis. Contrary to strengths, some of the weaknesses of working in PR stem from its heavy workload, consistent pressure to sustain relationships that are growing thin, face rejection from the media or public at times, and flocculating

Read More

Genetic Testing Brave New World Persuasive Essay

474 Words | 2 Pages

Genetic testing for a predisposition to a disease can be a simple process and can be beneficial to the prevention of life-threatening diseases. It has been done for a very long time with different strategies throughout its existence, including testing a small sample of DNA. It can also relate to literature like Brave New World. Genetic testing for a predisposition to a genetic disease is a way to find out the genetic information of a person including if they have a disease passed down genetically or not. Testing is done by looking at the family history and seeing if there is a disease that is passed down from generation to generation like diabetes and many forms of cancer.

Read More

Pros And Cons Of Cervical Cancer Screening

476 Words | 2 Pages

None of the screening test is perfect, and

Read More

The Pros And Cons Of Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis

1635 Words | 7 Pages

Introduction Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is a process that allows the screening of embryos that are at risk of inheriting a specific genetic disease. The embryos are generated by in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and are then screened. IVF is a medical procedure where an egg is fertilised by a sperm in a test tube outside of the body. The topic of PGD and IVF is a very controversial topic that has many opinions both for and against the process. Why is this a socio-scientific issue?

Read More

Arguments Against Prenatal Genetic Testing

699 Words | 3 Pages

Regardless of the improvements that have been made there is still a risk of miscarriages as a result. This risk factors can be contributed to the invasiveness of the procedure as well as the time during the pregnancy at which it is performed. The later the genetic testing is performed, the more developed the unborn child is and the later the possible abortion would take place. The two most common forms of testing are ¨amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling¨ (Rebouché and Rothenberg 989). Both of these tests ¨[require] extracting cells from the fetus in utero, either through the mother 's abdomen or vagina¨ (Rebouché and Rothenberg 989).

Read More

Genetic Testing Ethics

878 Words | 4 Pages

The ability to predict or diagnosis miss information produced by genes is called genetic testing. This testing can be done before conception, during pregnancy, and of the infant and parents after birth. So when is the best time to discuss this with parents? The sooner the better. According to Pillitteri (2014), nurses play a

Read More

Amniocentesis Research Paper

978 Words | 4 Pages

An RCT would require >400,000 patients in each arm to have adequate power to detect a difference of 0.05% in loss rates between those who do and do not undergo amniocentesis[37]. Thus, using large scale, multicenter, prospective trials, such as the FASTER Trial, as a surrogate appears to be the best option. Given it was carried out in multiple centers and that there were no specifications as to the technique, the results are generalizable to the larger “national” community. Given that more recent literature suggests loss rates lower than seen in the 1970s, amniocentesis remains a safe option for genetic testing. We believe it is reasonable to counsel patients of an

Read More

Virtue Theory Of Ethical Dilemmas

1256 Words | 6 Pages

In introduction, the three major ethicists in the history of man have succeeded in drafting different theories that actually help to tell us what to do when faced with an ethical dilemma such as the one I presented above. In the past, I have been applying Virtue theory in almost all moral ethical dilemma situations I face, but due to the complexity of the ethical dilemma I chose in unit 7 assignment, I would analyze the views of Consequentialists, Virtue, and Deontologists ethicists in order to know if it is morally right for a mother to abort a fetus in the course of pregnancy in any given society. An article published on Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, by Rebecca Kukla and Katherine Wayne, says that: “Pregnancy is a special moral circumstance

Read More

Essay On Prenatal Diagnostic Testing

1114 Words | 5 Pages

The prenatal diagnostics and prenatal screening being routine procedures should be considered as advantage of modern medicine. It helps to reveal wide spectrum of fetus abnormal conditions, but not only congenital defects and malformations. Early detection of many of them could help to perform surgical correction and necessary management as soon as possible in order to save newborns’ lives. On the other hand, this method is widely discussed and it has many opponents, and in some countries prenatal diagnostic procedures is not considered now as a screening method. Main ethical issues are terminations of pregnancies in case of malformations, which may be supposed as eugenical abortion, inform consent and problem of decision-making process.

Read More

Deontology And Abortion

803 Words | 4 Pages

Abortion is an ongoing ethical issue that attracts many different views from various races, religions and ethical groups. Deontological or teleological views are two major categories that many major religious views can be sorted into. An ethical issue is a problem or situation that requires a person or organization to choose between alternatives that must be evaluated as right (ethical) or wrong (unethical). Deontological points of view, such as Kant, are ones that involve always telling the truth and that all morals are related universally. For example this means that you can’t lie, even if someone close to you is in danger.

Read More

Argumentative Essay On Abortion

1663 Words | 7 Pages

What are the measures for being a human being? Is there any morally relevant break along the biological process of development from the unicellular zygote to birth? In this essay I will discuss why physician should recommend prenatal testing for severe birth defect even if it might encourages abortion therefore I do not agree with the statement above. My argument will based on the following ethical principles and theories: Utilitarianism, Respect for Autonomy and Virtue Firstly I will introduce what each of these ethical theories and principles mean and their implication on this argument. Utilitarianism “Act utilitarianism is solely concerned with achieving the maximum good.

Read More

More about Ethical Issues With Prenatal Genetic Testing

Related Topics

Open Document