Women have the right to prenatal genetic testing - and to choose abortion | Jacqui Morton

Many chromosomal abnormalities can be detected early on in the gestation period. But women who test for them often face judgement

Make an excited announcement that you’re pregnant, and you know what people will say next. “Congratulations!” or “When’s the baby due?” are the usual responses. After that, though, and in hushed tones, you might hear something else: “Are you going to have The Testing”?

They are referring to prenatal, genetic, testing, which detects whether a fetus has chromosomal abnormalities ranging from Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), Trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) or Trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome), to a number of other conditions including Cystic Fibrosis and Tay Sachs Disease. The prognosis and treatment for each of these diagnoses is very different, but at the center of it is a very complicated question.

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