What Prenatal Testing Has to Do with the Church (and Other Religious Communities)

Last updated on: June 14, 2013 at 1:53 pm by Amy Julia Becker

What Prenatal Testing Has to Do with the Church (and Other Religious Communities) 2013-06-14T13:53:12-04:00 Amy Julia Becker

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Penny praying before Christmas dinner a few years ago

I have a new essay on the Washington Post’s “On Faith” blog. It begins:

Every pregnant woman has decisions to make about prenatal genetic testing, and it’s not as simple as sticking out your arm for a blood draw.

According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), doctors should offer prenatal screening for some genetic conditions to all pregnant women, regardless of age or other risk factors. In the past year, blood tests have come on the market that promise to identify Down syndrome and other trisomies (the presence of a third copy of what is typically a pair of chromosomes) as early as eight to ten weeks within a pregnancy and technological advances now hold out the possibility of screening a fetus’ full genome for atypical genes at a relatively low cost.

Doctors can offer the medical information necessary to put the results of these tests in context, but these tests are much more than conduits of medical information. They require expectant parents to contemplate their values and cultural assumptions about health, relationships, independence and the role of people with intellectual and physical disabilities within our families and within our society. Most doctors are not (and need not be) prepared to offer counsel for the ethical, spiritual, and emotional questions raised by prenatal screening tests. Women need to consider their own position towards these tests and the information they provide before they agree to testing. Moreover, churches and other faith-based institutions need to begin conversations engaging the ethical questions parents face as they consider the role of prenatal testing in pregnancies. With that said, it can be hard for individuals and groups to find resources for guidance through these issues. I wrote “What Every Woman Needs to Know About Prenatal Testing: Insight From a Mom Who Has Been There“ in hopes of offering a nonjudgmental guide for women through the questions that come up about prenatal testing in pregnancy.

Continue reading The Very Personal Ethics of Prenatal Testing…

Previous Post

June 13, 2013

Do Medical Textbooks Intentionally Offer Outdated Descriptions of Down Syndrome? and Other Questions for George Estreich

Next Post

June 15, 2013 Tweets This Week: Disability, Muslim Abortion, Inclusion, and the Only and the Lonely

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Articles Books Disability Down Syndrome Faith family Perfectly Human Uncategorized

Select a Month February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 September 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz