Prenatal Diagnostic Testing in Biological Bgennings of Lifespan Developmental Psychology

Question: What are your thoughts on prenatal diagnostic testing, and should parents terminate or maintain the pregnancy if testing exhibits negative physical or mental health outcomes for the fetus?

Answer: I think prenatal diagnostic testing is useful in a way that it helps the parents to determine whether the fetus has any abnormalities, hereditary or genetic disorders. If so, they have time to think about whether abortion or further testings are needed. Maybe some parents would want to know abnormality of the child before birth so that it will not be too stressful to know about it during birth.

Whether maintaining or terminating the pregnancy if the testing shows negative results would probably be determined by the parents themselves as there are a few factors to consider, namely Religion, Finance, Treatments, etc...

It is an ethical and tough decision when parents are informed about undesired results of the prenatal diagnostic tests. To certain extent, I agree with parents to terminate the pregnancy as most of chromosome and gene-linked abnormalities are no way cured and treated after birth. It will pose enormous financial burden and psychological pressure for parents when nurturing the baby. Abortion will be also resulted in accusation from religion leaders.


However, if the treatments are available and the problem is completely cured (in the future), I will suggest the parent to keep the baby. In some cases viewed from TV, some children with Asperser or Down syndrome exhibit astonishing talent in art and memory.

Prenatal diagnostic testing does have advantages and disadvantages:

The advantages are that the parents can be better prepared to make a decision or deal with the implications of the results.

The disadvantages are that it presents some difficulties for parents, "what do I do with the information that I have now learned."


One's attitude toward prenatal diagnostic testing is influenced by cultural and religious views. It is a difficult decision for parents to make and each person uses their own framework/world view for making their decision. For example, if I am from a country that has a one child policy, who values one gender more than another there is a leaning towards making these decisions based on culture. If one holds a religious view of 'life begins at conception' and 'it isn't my role to interfere, play God,' they will have a leaning. I know of one local family in HK who had a test that indicated the child would have downs syndrome, she delivered the baby and then lived with the family pressure of them wanting her to institutionalize the downs baby.

I think these decisions are personal and difficult.


Answer Two:
Prenatal diagnosis is usually viewed as a procedure to ascertain whether the fetus has abnormal health problems, information collected from these diagnoses can help both the pregnant women and physicians to prepare for the birth and safer delivery of babies with challenged conditions. But oftentimes when the testing exhibits abnormalities in the fetus, there is a strong tendency that the mothers will decide to terminate. For instance, 90 percent of pregnant women whose fetuses are diagnosed with a Down syndrome have elected for abortion according to a NYtimes.com article published on May 9, 2007. This raises some controversies as some see prenatal diagnosis fuels eugenics abortion.


Eugenics is defined as the advancement of the society as a whole by solving social problems biologically, through the manipulation of genetic inheritance, largely through the control and shaping of human reproduction. Along this line of argument, there are supports for the limitation of the timeframe in which a woman can elect for abortion, in some countries, or other forms of variation in abortion policies.



I believe such claim is a far cry from today’s clinical practice, which is directed towards individuals and families, very different from the definition of eugenics, which is directed against a whole population to further a reproductive goal against the rights, freedoms, and choices of the individuals. However, I can’t help but worry the consequences of the collective results of individual decisions that could lead to social policies that discriminate against people with disabilities. Therefore I believe it is very important that the clinicians who present the information on abnormal diagnosis to the family with extreme cautious.

Answer Three:
I agree that this is not only a medical decision but an ethical one. It is understandable that mother elect to terminate pregnancy as there is tremendous financial and psychological pressure to raise a kid with Down syndrome. At the end of the day, it is the parents who will have to bear the consequences, good or bad, of the decision they make. But as medical technology advances, Down syndrome, like many other genetic diseases, though not curable, but have become increasingly treatable. For example, plastic surgery on facial reconstruction can eliminate social stigma of Down syndrome; shortening of tongue can help to improve speaking ability, etc.


Therefore, pregnant women’s decisions to terminate based on diagnosis of abnormalities in fetus has a lot to do how the diagnosis is presented to them and the perceived ramifications. It is as much an ethical issue on the part of the parents as much as the clinicians.


It is definitely a struggle between rationality and sensibility.

It made me thinking of the "Eugenics"- the study and practice of selective breeding applied to humans, with the aim of improving the species.
Prenatal diagnostic testing somehow is quite similar to Eugenics, different in passive and active. Passive in selecting the abnormal to terminate but active in selecting the superior to give birth.

Rationally, aborting an abnormal fetus benefits economic for both society and parents of fetus. It is also a burden to health care system in a long run.
Emotionally, it is a painful decision for parents as whatever the fetus is normal or abnormal, they are their lovable child and normally no parents would like to kill their child.
Ethically or religiously, we have no rights to terminate a life. (although in health care setting only view fetus >28 weeks as life)

It is totally an individual decision for parents. No one can bother their decision, and what we or the government can do is to offer support. Even with abnormal baby delivered.

I have experience in assisting that kind of decision many years ago in hospital. The parents are mature and educated, of course finacially independent. I did respect their decision and believed them with ability to take care of the abnormal baby. According to our follows, they live happily even under stresses.

However, if parents are not mature and independent enough to deal with those foresee future difficulties, the pregnancy should be terminate.
Not under any discriminaion, but realistically nurturing an abnormal baby needs more effort and resources. If they are not capable to take good care for the child, for the child's goodness, terminating pregnancy is an alternative.