NON-INVASIVE PRENATAL TESTING FOR ADULTONSET CONDITIONS: REPRODUCTIVE CHOICE AND THE WELFARE OF THE FUTURE CHILD

Non-invasive prenatal testing ('NIPT') enables quick, safe and generally reliable screening during early pregnancy. NIPT is currently available in Australia for screening for conditions such as trisomy 21 ('Down Syndrome') which are immediately apparent at birth. NIPT may also be...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Melbourne University law review 2022-01, Vol.45 (2), p.728-777
Main Authors: Taylor-Sands, Michelle, Bowman-Smart, Hilary
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alzheimer's disease
Breast cancer
Down syndrome
Ethics
Fetuses
Genetic disorders
Genetic testing
Genomes
Health risk assessment
Huntingtons disease
Pregnancy
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Summary:Non-invasive prenatal testing ('NIPT') enables quick, safe and generally reliable screening during early pregnancy. NIPT is currently available in Australia for screening for conditions such as trisomy 21 ('Down Syndrome') which are immediately apparent at birth. NIPT may also be used in the future to detect adult-onset disorders and risk profiles for conditions which manifest later in life. Although expanded prenatal testing has the potential to enhance reproductive choice, the use of NIPT to detect adult-onset conditions raises significant ethical concerns about the welfare of the future child. In this article, we explore the legal and ethical issues raised by NIPT for adult-onset conditions. We make some preliminary proposals for regulating access to NIPT, which encourage prospective parents to consider the interests of the future child through careful genetic counselling.
ISSN:0025-8938
1839-3810