![]() Because NIPT removes the risk of iatrogenic miscarriage associated with invasive procedures such as chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and amniocentesis, there seems to be less reason for pregnant women and their partners to be cautious about consenting to screening for Down syndrome and other conditions (Chitty et al 2016). While the ethical and social dimensions of prenatal testing and selective termination of pregnancy have been debated for many decades (Shakespeare 2006), the advent of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) and its rapid and widespread adoption has reawakened these debates, together with associated anxieties about eugenics and equality. The implications of the approach developed for current and future policies in this area are explored, along with the impact of such arguments on ideas about procreative beneficence. The variable nature of such considerations, both singularly and combined, suggests that any approach to NIPT should be sensitive to and understanding of similarly variable parental assessments and decisions. The authors argue that there are a variety of moral considerations that legitimately play a significant role with regard to (prospective) parental decision-making in the context of NIPT, for example, views on the morality of abortion and understandings of the impact of disability on quality of life. ![]() The article engages with the viewpoints of Jeff McMahan, Julian Savulescu, Stephen Wilkinson and other commentators on prenatal ethics. Given that such testing is likely to become the norm, it is important to question whether there should be some ethical parameters regarding its use. This article explores the Nuffield Council on Bioethics’ recent report about non-invasive prenatal testing. International Centre for Evidence in Disability, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Termination of Pregnancy After Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT): Ethical Considerations
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