Prenatal Testing Term Paper

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Prenatal Testing

For many people, prenatal testing has opened many opportunities to treat potential illnesses and to save lives. Administering tests that involve visualization, ultrasounds and amniocentesis allow physicians and parents to identify illnesses and disabilities in children even before birth. More advanced surgical techniques have been used to treat babies even before they are born.

Many others, however, have expressed concern over the ethical implications of prenatal testing. While the treatment of diseases is a noble cause, many ethicists worry that prenatal testing will lead to a de facto form of eugenics. In these cases, prenatal testing could be used to screen out mild disabilities and other non-life threatening conditions.

This paper looks at the social implications of prenatal testing, with a particular emphasis on the definitions of disability and preferred genetic makeup. The first part is a look at the reasons why parents avail of prenatal testing techniques. These range from non-invasive processes such as ultrasounds to fetal tissue analysis. The second part of the paper then looks at the many advantages and arguments in favor of continued prenatal testing. In the third part, the paper examines the various ethical arguments against tampering with natural genetic development, including concerns that prenatal testing would cause a great increase in abortion rates.

In the conclusion, this paper argues that thee fears of ethicists regarding abortion and eugenics are remain merely conjectures and worst-case scenarios. However, the advantages in terms of in-utero surgery and early treatment are already available. In light of these two factors, prenatal testing should continue to be available for parents who wish to ensure the health of their baby.

Types of prenatal testing

In the late 1960s, modern prenatal diagnosis techniques provided parents with new options for prenatal care. At the forefront was amniocentesis, a technique wherein cells taken from amniotic fluid are grown in the laboratory.

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By analyzing these cells, scientists and physicians can identify the presence of genetic markers for diseases like Down's Syndrome ("Genetic Testing and Screening").

Researchers find that people who opt for prenatal diagnosis do so for common reasons. Many would-be parents request prenatal testing due to the advanced age of the mother. More than 90% of prenatal tests are performed for mothers who are aged 35 and over. Parents with a history of genetic abnormalities like Tay-Sachs Disease also avail of prenatal testing techniques. Related to this, many people who belong to ethnic groups known to be at risk for specific illnesses also turn to prenatal testing ("Genetic Testing and Screening").

The rest of prenatal diagnoses are conducted for patients who have had difficulty conceiving, difficult pregnancies, have already had miscarriages or who have given birth to babies with birth defects. Many couples who have had a child with Down's Syndrome are also prime candidates of prenatal testing, regardless of maternal age ("Genetic Testing and Screening").

Despite the different reasons for seeking prenatal tests, parents who opt for such testing are concerned with the same thing. Their main concern is to predict the possibility of birth defects and disease. Even for diseases that are still classified as untreatable, many parents still find the knowledge regarding their children's health invaluable.

Advantages of prenatal testing

Research has shown that many patients and healthcare practitioners favor prenatal testing. Many pregnant women understand that while prenatal screenings do not constitute a definitive diagnosis, these techniques can identify those with a high risk of abnormalities (Suter). In this sense, prenatal testing has become a norm for many pregnancies.

With advancements in science, prenatal testing allow for….....

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