The problem of genetics and abortion is an extension of the abortion debate and the rights movement of people with disabilities. Since the advent of forms of prenatal diagnosis, such as amniocentesis and ultrasound, it has become possible to detect congenital impairment in the fetus before birth. In particular, a select-disabled abortion is a fetal abortion that has been found to have non-fatal mental or physical disabilities detected through prenatal testing. Many pregnancy tests are considered routine, such as tests for Down syndrome. Women who are known to carry a fetus with a disability are often faced with the decision whether to cancel or prepare to finance a disabled child.
Video Genetics and abortion
The legality of selective abortion
In many countries abortion is available on request up to a point in pregnancy, does not take into account why women want abortion, but in a small number of countries all abortions are prohibited, including for pregnancies that endanger the lives of mothers, including Vatican City, El Salvador, Chile and Malta. Countries can also limit abortion even if the child has a genetic defect. Countries that allow abortion if the mother is at risk but do not allow abortion if the child has genetic defects including Iran, Ireland, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
Not all genetic markers that can be examined are for illness, leaving open the possibility that parents may choose an abortion based on personal preference rather than avoiding illness. In some jurisdictions, sex selective abortion is specifically prohibited. Many pro-life activists are concerned that genetic testing will give women a reason to have an abortion. It is believed that in the end genetic testing will be able to provide a lot of knowledge about the health of children in the future.
Maps Genetics and abortion
Genetic testing for Down syndrome
Screening today for Down syndrome is offered as part of a routine parental care. Congressional Obstetricians and American Gynecologists recommend to offer a variety of screening tests for Down syndrome for all pregnant women, regardless of age. However, genetic testing is not entirely accurate, but it can help determine whether further testing should be done or if there is a need for concern. Tests for Down Syndrome can be done at different times of pregnancy. Most women choose the first trimester option done in two parts at the 11th and 13th week of pregnancy. These tests include ultrasound to measure a specific area behind the baby's neck. If there is a problem with the baby then there will be excess fluid in this area. The second part of this test is a blood test that looks for abnormal levels of PAPP-A and HCG that may indicate problems with the baby. Of all the women who did the Down Syndrome test, only 5 percent were identified as being at risk. Of those 5 percent much less actually bring children with Down Syndrome. Screening tests are actually better for testing what women are at risk than with how many women actually bring children with Down Syndrome.
Statistics today conclude that 90 percent of fetuses diagnosed with Down syndrome through fetal genetic testing are canceled. However, only 2-3 percent of women agree to complete a genetic test, CVS or amniocentesis, the current test for chromosomal abnormalities. When considering this, it is believed that about 50 percent of fetuses with Down Syndrome are aborted.
Selective selective-selective abortion
Support for selective-selective abortion comes from the argument that those born with disabilities have a reduced quality of life to the extent that none is preferred, and ends the actual pregnancy for the child in the future. Some argue that fetal abortion with disabilities is moral because it prevents children and/or parents from suffering, and that the decision to cancel is not made lightly. One example comes from the utilitarian perspective of Peter Singer who argues that healthy fetal abortion is not justified, but selective abortion is justified if the total amount of happiness will be greater by doing so. His justification for such thinking not only comes from the quality of life for children, but also the suffering of parents and the lack of willing adoptive parents for children with disabilities.
Opposition to selective-selective abortion
Several different arguments lie in the heart of the opposition for selective selective abortion. Those who oppose selective-selective abortion often cite the right to live all fetuses. Further arguments include that the abortion is based on false information or stereotypes about the lives of persons with disabilities. Others consider fetal disability abortion as a form of discrimination, arguing that abortion after a positive diagnosis sends the message that life with disability is not worth living. Feminist defects and activists warn against the eugenic possibility of selective selective abortion for disabled communities. Reproductive rights activists not only strive for women's right to abortion, but also their right to choose not to use prenatal testing. A prominent pro-choice advocate condemning selective-selective abortion is Adrienne Asch, who believes that the perceived problems associated with disability are not caused by disability but lack of social support and acceptance.
- The European Blind Union has expressed its opposition to mandatory abortion for genetic indications in its manifesto: "the right to life should include a ban on mandatory abortion in State examples, based on a pre-natal diagnosis of disability".
- According to an article in Disability Studies Quarterly, the rights movement for people with disabilities in Germany has refused abortion in cases where the fetus is found to have a congenital defect. The problem for the German disability rights movement has been a continuing return to the early eugenics movement, up to the Nazi era, when Nazi eugenic practices became a concern, and in the present.
- A report given to the NSW Anti-Discrimination Council and the NSW Law Reform Commission by the AIS Support Group of Australia (AISSGA) reviewed the incidence of Australian abortion in cases when the fetus is diagnosed with intersex conditions. Between 1983 and 1998, the Victorian Department of Human Services reported that 98 of the 213 fetuses detected had Turner syndrome been canceled, 28 out of 77 were found to have Klinefelter syndrome, and 39 of the 189 fetuses with sex chromosome anomalies had been aborted.. AISSGA proposes that parents who expect children with sex chromosome anomalies are advised by genetic counselors, and are contacted with a support group for people with this condition, so as to gain a better understanding of the true effects of the condition.
See also
- Eugenika
- Fetal rights
- Genetic counseling
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments