The ethical implications of non-invasive prenatal screening and elective abortion for Down’s syndrome from a medical and a Catholic theological perspective

The 21st century has witnessed a great many advances in the field of prenatal testing and screening for chromosomal abnormalities and genetic conditions. Amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS) are the prenatal tests currently offered to women considered to be ‘at risk’ from giving birth to a child with Down’s syndrome. The ‘at risk’ category refers to women of an advanced maternal age, even a woman aged 35 is now considered a more mature mother, or those with a history of chromosomal abnormalities. Due to their invasive nature, amniocentesis and CVS can cause a miscarriage, an infection, or an injury to the foetus. In 2012 a non-invasive test blood test (NIPT), that screens the cell free foetal DNA in the mother’s blood, was introduced. It will be available on the NHS from 2018 and is claimed to be 99% accurate in the detection of Down’s syndrome. The advantages of NIPT are: it is a safe and easy procedure that carries no risk to the mother or foetus and can be performed in early pregnancy. As with all new advances in medical science, it raises ethical issues. Among the concerns surrounding NIPT are that: it could be carried out, without a woman’s knowledge and consent, along with routine prenatal blood tests; failing to inform a woman that because it is a screening, not a diagnostic, test it could show a false positive; elective abortions for Down’s syndrome may increase which could have a discriminatory effect on people already living with Down’s syndrome; and that it could reinforce a eugenic mentality and society’s negative attitude towards disability. This study examines, analyses and questions the ethical issues associated with non-invasive prenatal testing and elective abortion for Down’s syndrome, from a medical and a Catholic theological perspective which gives an added depth to the discussion.