NIPT essay Should Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing NIPT be part of the general free health care package for all women? That is the question that several countries, including the Netherlands, are currently trying to answer. Invented by the AIOSA laboratory in the USA (2), Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing has come to the market in the recent years. It is a screening test that can detect the most common chromosomal disorders such as Down Syndrome, Edwards syndrome and Patau syndrome. This essay will discuss the way in which this test works, the benefits and drawbacks of the technique, the ethical part that arises with this type of testing, and the current debate as to whether the NIPT should be part of the standard health package in the Netherlands. …show more content…
As previously mentioned, it is a screening test (5) (sort of like a risk assessment) that is able to detect for a number of chromosomal abnormalities. The way this happens is through taking a sample of blood (meaning a blood test has to be taken) from the pregnant woman (5). There are cell-free DNA fragments in this blood, and 10-15% of these DNA fragments come from the fetus (2), which are used for analyzation. The specific sequences for each chromosome type are checked (4) (meaning that it is also possible to know the gender of the baby). It can be determined whether the fetus is at a low or high risk of a chromosomal abnormality depending on the number of sequences for each type of chromosome. If there are more sequences than usual for chromosome 21 for example, then the fetus is at a high risk of having Down syndrome …show more content…
Jong, Antina de, et al. “Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing: Ethical Issues Explored.” European Journal of Human Genetics, Nature Publishing Group, Mar. 2010, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2987207/. 5. “NIPT for Down Syndrome.” NHS Choices, NHS, 2014, www.rapid.nhs.uk/guides-to-nipd-nipt/nipt-for-down-syndrome/. (Please note that the author, publisher were unknown for this website) 6. “NIPT (Non Invasive Prenatal Test).” NIPT, www.downsyndromenipt.info/nipt/?lang=en. (Please note that the author, publisher and publishing date were unknown for this website) 7. Olmstead, Susan C. “Ethical Considerations to NIPT.” Contemporary OB/GYN, 4 Oct. 2016, contemporaryobgyn.modernmedicine.com/contemporary-obgyn/news/ethical-considerations-nipt. 8. “Test to Detect Birth Defects Should Not Be Free for All Women, Says Institute.” DutchNews.nl, Vindustries, 30 Aug. 2017, www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2017/08/test-to-detect-birth-defects-should-not-be-free-for-all-women-says-institute/. 9. Vanstone, M, et al. “Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing.” Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada : JOGC = Journal D'obstetrique Et Gynecologie Du Canada : JOGC., U.S. National Library of Medicine, June 2014,