A Disability Critique of the New Prenatal Test for Down Syndrome

This article presents evidence that the availability of a new noninvasive test for Down syndrome (known as “MaterniT21”) could result in increased uptake of prenatal testing for Down syndrome and an increase in selective abortions of affected fetuses. I argue that people with Down syndrome and those...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Kaposy, Chris (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press 2013
In: Kennedy Institute of Ethics journal
Year: 2013, Volume: 23, Issue: 4, Pages: 299-324
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:This article presents evidence that the availability of a new noninvasive test for Down syndrome (known as “MaterniT21”) could result in increased uptake of prenatal testing for Down syndrome and an increase in selective abortions of affected fetuses. I argue that people with Down syndrome and those sympathetic to them have reason to object to these developments because bias against cognitive disability is an influence on decisions to test and terminate for Down syndrome, and social practices motivated by bias are objectionable. The article addresses many of the challenges to the disability critique formulated by its detractors. I discuss whether the disability critique is the same as the “expressivist” objection to prenatal testing, the nature of the harm experienced by people with Down syndrome, and the link between prenatal testing and this harm.
ISSN:1086-3249
Contains:Enthalten in: Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Kennedy Institute of Ethics journal
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1353/ken.2013.0017