The Pros And Cons Of Prenatal Genetic Testing

In the past, genetic disorders in children were all revealed at the moment of birth. Doctors and parents had no way of detecting abnormalities during pregnancy. Now, through prenatal genetic testing, trisomy disorders can be found in children during the first trimester. However, controversy lies in how ethical methods of testing are: Are they harmful to the child? How will this affect a parent's’ perception of his or her child when discovering that they are more likely to be obese, or are diagnosed with Down Syndrome? The balance of misuse of and values of information lies in these murky issues. Because the ethical costs for prenatal genetic testing is high, doctors should have patients start out with the least risky tests first to test pregnancies,

The improvements in technology is leading prenatal genetic testing to detect minor abnormalities like “red hair”. These tests are done through four methods: ultrasound, amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling, and maternal blood tests. Ultrasound is most common and the most accepted form of testing; the testing was done since the 1960’s, and is noninvasive because it necessitates the transmission of sound waves to the womb. This results in a screening of the parent’s womb that can help the doctor detect physical problems. Amniocentesis goes even further and identifies “chromosomal abnormalities, inherited diseases and spinal column and brain defects” through the extraction of amniotic fluid by needle. This method is invasive in that a “miscarriage occurs about 1 out of every 1,000 procedures”. Chorionic Villus Sampling, developed in the 1980s, is the extraction of fetal cells from the placenta. It discovers a child’s inherited diseases and chromosomal abnormalities as well. This method has risk in that “miscarriage occurs 1 out of every 500 procedures”. Both are diagnostic tests that have about a 99% accuracy rate on results. Finally, maternal blood testing takes the blood sample of a mother and uses the