The NIPT-test, Non-Invasive
Prenatal Testing, is a technique used to test a fetus for a range of genetic
conditions, such as Down syndrome (Nuffield Council on Bioethics, 2019). It
only takes a blood sample from the pregnant woman, the test is relatively cheap
and quick. What is there not to like, you may think?
These medical evolutions don’t
come without ethical questions. For the sake of argument, place yourself in the
position of a parent-to be, confronted with the possibility of taking this
test. If you decide to take the test and the result turns out to be positive, have
you considered the next question? The next question in this case is: do you want
to be the parent of not only a child, but of a child with Down syndrome. If
not, then you have to deal with the option of having an abortion. Standing in
front of this choice, would you prefer not to know anything before the birth of
your child and deal with the near limitless amount of uncertainty that
parenthood involves, step by step? Is it better not to know certain things
(Journal of Medical Ethics, 2019).
On top of this, you do not
become a parent in a vacuum, but in a society filled with people. The political
choice of investing money in making this test more readily available, instead
of investing in facilities making life easier for people with Down syndrome
seems to communicate a certain view (Lensink, 2015). These political choices
seem to imply that a society with less people with Down syndrome is the more
preferable one.
However, in the end, this puts
parents in an almost impossible choice that only on the surface seems to be an
individual one. Are you ready to cope with this massive load of responsibility?
Literature list
Journal of Medical Ethics.
(2019). ‘Is it better not to know certain
things?’: views of women who have undergone non-invasive prenatal testing on
its possible future applications. Opgehaald van https://jme.bmj.com/content/45/4/231.info
Lensink, J. (2015). Eigen Schuld: verantwoordelijkheid en het
keuzeproces bij prenataal testen voor het syndroom van Down: Een vergelijking
van wetenschappelijke uitgangspunten. Opgehaald van https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/303626
Nuffield Council on Bioethics.
(2019). Our concerns about non-invasive
prenatal testing (NIPT) in the private healthcare sector [blog]. Retrieved
from https://nuffieldbioethics.org/blog/nipt-private
