Prenatal Diagnosis and Selective Abortion

Prenatal Diagnosis and Selective Abortion
Author: Harry Harris
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 114
Release: 1975
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9780674700802

The ability to identify and abort fetuses with certain genetic abnormalities is among the most recent and most important of medical advances. In this book, one of the world's leading medical geneticists, Harry Harris, discusses the promise and the perils of the new techniques. Dr. Harris writes with great clarity; he explains technical concepts and terms so well that a layman can follow his account with little effort. This book will serve as an excellent introduction to a large and growing literature. Dr. Harris begins by explaining methods of prenatal diagnosis and the kinds of disease that can, at present, be identified in utero. He identifies technological limitations of the procedure and also discusses certain theoretical factors that limit its future applicability. The book concludes with a long and balanced examination of ethical issues entailed by the practice of selective abortion. The author limits discussion of his own opinions in favor of evaluating the main contemporary positions and exploring the basis of controversy. He makes clear, however, his own view that there are clear advantages to the technique and clear limitations and that there will always be gray areas in which decision must be painful and individual--unaided by pat moralizing.

Prenatal Testing and Disability Rights

Prenatal Testing and Disability Rights
Author: Erik Parens
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
Total Pages: 392
Release: 2000-09-28
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9781589013940

As prenatal tests proliferate, the medical and broader communities perceive that such testing is a logical extension of good prenatal care—it helps parents have healthy babies. But prenatal tests have been criticized by the disability rights community, which contends that advances in science should be directed at improving their lives, not preventing them. Used primarily to decide to abort a fetus that would have been born with mental or physical impairments, prenatal tests arguably reinforce discrimination against and misconceptions about people with disabilities. In these essays, people on both sides of the issue engage in an honest and occasionally painful debate about prenatal testing and selective abortion. The contributors include both people who live with and people who theorize about disabilities, scholars from the social sciences and humanities, medical geneticists, genetic counselors, physicians, and lawyers. Although the essayists don't arrive at a consensus over the disability community's objections to prenatal testing and its consequences, they do offer recommendations for ameliorating some of the problems associated with the practice.

Choosing Between Possible Lives

Choosing Between Possible Lives
Author: Rosamund Scott
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 390
Release: 2007-12-20
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1847313809

To what extent should parents be able to choose the kind of child they have? The unfortunate phrase 'designer baby' has become familiar in debates surrounding reproduction. As a reference to current possibilities the term is misleading, but the phrase may indicate a societal concern of some kind about control and choice in the course of reproduction. Typically, people can choose whether to have a child. They may also have an interest in choosing, to some extent, the conditions under which they do so, such as whether they have a child with a serious disability or disease. The purpose of this book is to explore the difficult and controversial question of the appropriate ethical and legal extent of reproductive autonomy in this context. The book examines ethical, legal and public policy issues in prenatal screening, prenatal diagnosis (PND), selective abortion and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). It explores the ethics of these selection practices and the ability of current ethical guidelines and legal mechanisms, including the law on selective abortion and wrongful birth, to deal with advances in genetic and other knowledge in these areas. Unlike in the United States, in England the relevant law is not inherently rights-based, but the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 inevitably raises questions about the proper scope of reproductive autonomy in this context. The implications of the analysis are considered for the development of relevant law, public policy and ethical guidelines and will be of interest to academics in medical law and ethics, health professionals, lawyers, those working on public policy and students with an interest in these issues.

Assessing Genetic Risks

Assessing Genetic Risks
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 353
Release: 1994-01-01
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309047986

Raising hopes for disease treatment and prevention, but also the specter of discrimination and "designer genes," genetic testing is potentially one of the most socially explosive developments of our time. This book presents a current assessment of this rapidly evolving field, offering principles for actions and research and recommendations on key issues in genetic testing and screening. Advantages of early genetic knowledge are balanced with issues associated with such knowledge: availability of treatment, privacy and discrimination, personal decision-making, public health objectives, cost, and more. Among the important issues covered: Quality control in genetic testing. Appropriate roles for public agencies, private health practitioners, and laboratories. Value-neutral education and counseling for persons considering testing. Use of test results in insurance, employment, and other settings.

Choosing Down Syndrome

Choosing Down Syndrome
Author: Chris Kaposy
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 237
Release: 2018-04-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0262037718

An argument that more people should have children with Down syndrome, written from a pro-choice, disability-positive perspective. The rate at which parents choose to terminate a pregnancy when prenatal tests indicate that the fetus has Down syndrome is between 60 and 90 percent. In Choosing Down Syndrome, Chris Kaposy offers a carefully reasoned ethical argument in favor of choosing to have such a child. Arguing from a pro-choice, disability-positive perspective, Kaposy makes the case that there is a common social bias against cognitive disability that influences decisions about prenatal testing and terminating pregnancies, and that more people should resist this bias by having children with Down syndrome. Drawing on accounts by parents of children with Down syndrome, and arguing for their objectivity, Kaposy finds that these parents see themselves and their families as having benefitted from having a child with Down syndrome. To counter those who might characterize these accounts as based on self-deception or expressing adaptive preference, Kaposy cites supporting evidence, including divorce rates and observational studies showing that families including children with Down syndrome typically function well. Himself the father of a child with Down syndrome, Kaposy argues that cognitive disability associated with Down syndrome does not lead to diminished well-being. He argues further that parental expectations are influenced by neoliberal ideologies that unduly focus on the supposed diminished economic potential of a person with Down syndrome. Kaposy does not advocate restricting access to abortion or prenatal testing for Down syndrome, and he does not argue that it is ethically mandatory in all cases to give birth to a child with Down syndrome. People should be free to make important decisions based on their values. Kaposy's argument shows that it may be consistent with their values to welcome a child with Down syndrome into the family.

Mutating Concepts, Evolving Disciplines: Genetics, Medicine, and Society

Mutating Concepts, Evolving Disciplines: Genetics, Medicine, and Society
Author: L.S. Parker
Publisher: Taylor & Francis US
Total Pages: 358
Release: 2002-12-31
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9781402010408

This volume employs philosophical and historical perspectives to shed light on classic social, ethical, and philosophical issues raised with renewed urgency against the backdrop of the mapping of the human genome. Philosophers and historians of science and medicine, ethicists, and those interested in the reciprocal influence of science and other cultural practices will find the arguments and observations offered fascinating and indispensable.

Testing Women, Testing the Fetus

Testing Women, Testing the Fetus
Author: Rayna Rapp
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 376
Release: 2004-11-23
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1135963916

Rich with the voices and stories of participants, these touching, firsthand accounts examine how women of diverse racial, ethnic, class and religious backgrounds perceive prenatal testing, the most prevalent and routinized of the new reproducing technologies. Based on the author's decade of research and her own personal experiences with amniocentesis, Testing Women, Testing the Fetus explores the "geneticization" of family life in all its complexity and diversity.

Pregnancy After Assisted Reproductive Technology

Pregnancy After Assisted Reproductive Technology
Author: Eric Jauniaux
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 211
Release: 2012-09-06
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 1107006473

Practical, evidence-based guide to managing ART pregnancies, based on 30 years of clinical experience, including gynaecological, genetic and obstetric complications.

The Tentative Pregnancy

The Tentative Pregnancy
Author: Barbara Katz Rothman
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 324
Release: 1993
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 9780393309980

"What a wonderful mix of scholarship and feeling! With insight and sympathy, Barbara Katz Rothman shows us how the new techniques for diagnosing fetal health problems confront pregnant women with new burdens and responsibilities. Anyone who thinks that prenatal diagnosis is liberating for women needs to read this book." -Ruth Hubbard, professor of biology, Harvard University

Practical Guide to Oral Exams in Obstetrics and Gynecology

Practical Guide to Oral Exams in Obstetrics and Gynecology
Author: Görker Sel
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 319
Release: 2019-11-13
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 3030296695

This book, based on non-interactive question-and-answer format, offers an essential guide for medical students who need to prepare for oral exams or clinical visits. Starting from specific clinical situations the volume provides clear questions on the theory related to the cases. Each question is followed by correct answers that summarize the main information. Suggested reading are included to deepen the topics and enhance the readers knowledge. Accordingly, this practical guide will help students get ready for their oral exams, and help prepare young residents for their first clinical cases.