Fresh Hopes and Concerns As Fetal DNA Tests Advance (Washington Post)
October 28, 2008
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/25/AR2008102502094_pf.html
Doctors have started using powerful new DNA tests to screen fetuses for a wider range of genetic abnormalities, spotting more problem pregnancies early but stirring fears that the results will increase abortions as well as confuse and needlessly alarm many couples...
..."Some of these disorders are quite burdensome. They require lifelong nursing care. In some cases these children never walk, never talk, never feed themselves," Beaudet said. "It can have a major impact on the family. People say, 'I wish you had given me the opportunity to know ahead of time. It's really destroyed our lives.' That's why women want to know."...
...Advocates for the disabled worry that doctors and insurance companies will use the results to pressure parents to terminate pregnancies at any sign of potential problems.
"We want disabled children to be welcomed into the world. My fear is we're moving in the opposite direction," said Andrew Imparato, president of the American Association of People With Disabilities...
