Today, I talked to Malcolm Ritter of the Associated Press in a two-part series about the new upcoming prenatal tests for Down syndrome. In the first part, Ritter starts, “Companies are racing to market a more accurate blood test than those available now that could spare many women the need for an amnio or CVS. It would retrieve fetal DNA from the mother’s bloodstream. And the answer could come before the pregnancy is obvious to others. For some women, that might mean abortion is a more tenable choice. For others it could be a mixed blessing.”
In the second part, Malcolm Ritter starts, “Imagine being pregnant and taking a simple blood test that lays bare the DNA of your fetus. And suppose that DNA could reveal not only medical conditions like Down syndrome, but also things like eye color and height. And the risk for developing depression or Alzheimer’s disease. And the chances of being gay.” Would you want to know that information? And, should you even be able to know it in the first place?
Categories: News