Doctors could screen unborn children for 3,500 genetic disorders
June 13, 2012
Using a blood sample from a mother and a saliva sample from a father, scientists at the University of Washington have developed a non-invasive test that they believe could one day be used to diagnose unborn children for up to 3,500 genetic disorders.
“The less tangible implication of incorporating this level of information into pre-natal decision-making raises many ethical questions that must be considered carefully within the scientific community and on a societal level,” the scientists stated.
“One always hopes, vainly, that in utero testing will be for the benefit of the unborn child,” said Josephine Quintavalle of the London-based ProLife Alliance. “But, whilst this new test may not itself be invasive, given our past track record, it is difficult to imagine that this new test will not lead to more abortions.”
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Further information:
- Noninvasive Whole-Genome Sequencing of a Human Fetus (Science Translational Medicine)
- Unborn babies could be tested for 3,500 genetic faults (The Telegraph)
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