MASS GENETIC TESTING OF PREGNANT WOMEN ON WAY by Rachel Sylvester TELEGRAPH UNITED KINGDOM - 11 March 2000 - A NATIONAL genetic testing programme for pregnant women is being set up in a move that could lead to mass screening of the population.
New guidance has been sent out to health authorities telling them to offer a range of genetic tests to pregnant
women who could be carrying a disorder. They have also been advised that counselling about an abortion should be given as a matter of course if the foetus is found to be abnormal. The recommendations, drawn up by the Government's Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing, call for a dramatic expansion in the number of women tested on the National Health Service.Everybody with a family history of illness and ethnic groups more susceptible to particular disorders should be
tested automatically, the report says. More controversially, it suggests that "screening the whole pregnant population or a large sub-group, which is collectively at a low risk, may be undertaken with the aim of identifying those at a higher risk so that more specific tests may be offered".Until now, genetic testing has been organised regionally with tests targeted at narrowly-defined groups. The
Government has shied away from general screening programmes because ministers fear being accused of pursuing a policy of "eugenics". However, the report, which has been endorsed by the Department of Health, concludes that a national policy is now essential to keep up with the pace of scientific progress. "It is clear that genetics centres see
only a proportion of the individuals and families who would benefit from comprehensive genetic services," it says. "It may be that in some cases neither the family nor the family doctor may be aware of the genetic implications of a
condition and the possible options available to them."The committee urges the Government and health authorities to invest in more testing centres, including national
facilities for rare disorders. At the moment there are only 19 centres in England, covering about 49 million people.
Health authorities are advised that written consent should be obtained before any tests are carried out.The guidance also makes clear that women should be offered an abortion as one option if the test finds a genetic
abnormality. "Those who undergo prenatal diagnosis have the wish to have a healthy child. Thus when a foetus is found to have a genetic, chromosomal or structural abnormality, some may .. . choose to seek a termination of the
pregnancy."The report advises doctors: "A photographic record of the foetus may be valuable for two purposes: as a record for completion of the examination and for possible later consultation, and as a memento for the family. The style of
photography should differ for these two purposes."Anti-abortion campaigners accused the Government last night of encouraging parents to want "designer babies".
Paul Tully, general secretary of the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child, said: "This will encourage
the mentality that a child is expected to be perfect and that the health service is there to eliminate those who are
not perfect. That is an affront to the dignity of all disabled people, it says they are worth less than others."
- A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "We want all health authorities to have the same standards and
procedures so all patients get a fair and equal treatment when they have these sort of tests."- [Source: http://philologos.org/bpr & The Electronic Telegraph,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/et?ac=000140326706927&rtmo=faVsfsVs&atmo=faVsfsVs&pg=/et/00/3/11/ngen11.htmlBACK