Health Secretary, Vaughan Gething, wants Wales “to show the way” by making NIPT [1] available to pregnant women from next Monday. This new test is used to accurately diagnose genetic diseases by testing the mother’s blood. It replaces amniocentesis “which carries a 1% risk of miscarriage and a 1 in 1,000 risk of serious infection”. The test screens for Down syndrome, Edward syndrome and Patau syndrome.
The Health Secretary hopes to reduce the number of miscarriages caused by invasive screening tests such as amniocentesis.
Associations such as Do not Screen Us Out are concerned and believe that the test “could trigger more abortions and have a negative impact on the Down syndrome community”.
[1] NIPT – could it be used for other genetic disorders in the future?
Bewilderment surrounding genetic screening prior to a review of bioethics legislation
NIPT: a “reflex” procedure tested in the United Kingdom
Extending non-invasive prenatal testing?
“Medical termination of pregnancy”: heading towards assumed eugenics
Prenatal testing – a source of anxiety for women
Irish News (26/04/2018)