Persuasive Essay On Prenatal Genetic Testing

If you could take the chance to see if your baby had any harmful diseases before delivery, would you? There needs to be accessibility to the tests so that parents will be more ready financially and emotionally for any birth abnormalities. 1 in 33 babies are affected with birth defects in the US each year (Prenatal Nierneberg). Birth defects could be prevented or the parents could be ready for the possible outcomes after birth. The Federal government should legislate for more accessibility to prenatal genetic testing by increasing funding to testing facilities, increasing funding towards research for new forms of testing, and by reducing restrictions on physicians.
The biggest issue for prenatal genetic testing is the attainability. Facilities that do offer tests are not on health insurance plans, or are too expensive for low-income families. Low income families, high-risk families that are self-employed or work part-time will not be able to afford or get health insurance (Pergament). Certain testing facilities that are privately owned raise funds on their own, but legislation should be passed to have government-funded facilities that can offer prenatal genetic testing to those low-income families. There is an already existing group that produces funds for testing, “The Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions
Though there are tests and testing facilities that do the genetic tests, prenatal genetic testing is not accessible to all at-risk or concerned families expecting a baby. Government funding should be put towards prenatal genetic testing to increase accessibility to testing facilities, discover more testing forms, and give more autonomy to physicians. With these improvements, low income-families and anyone with a family history of genetic diseases can find out and prepare for any irregularities before the baby is