The Pros And Cons Of Prenatal Genetic Testing

Parents should not use the results of a prenatal genetic test to determine if they will terminate the pregnancy. These tests are not completely accurate, and it is possible for a child to live a long and happy life with many genetic diseases. Also it is not morally correct to terminate a pregnancy. Prenatal genetic testing can reveal birth defects a child will have when born. It can result in parents getting the extra help their child will need and sometimes can save the child's life because the doctors can be prepared to perform any procedures necessary. However; the results scare some parents into choosing to terminate their pregnancy. Terminating a pregnancy due to the results of a prenatal genetic test should not be an option (Birth).
Gwen Hartley became pregnant with her second child, a baby girl she and her husband would name Claire. Everything with Gwen’s pregnancy was normal until her twenty-six week sonogram. The doctor diagnosed Claire with a rare disease called microcephaly that results in a child being born with a small head and as a result they have smaller brains and problems functioning normally. Children with microcephaly also have very short life expectancies, so short that the doctors said there was a very good chance that Claire would not live past her first birthday. The Hartley’s thought hard about having another child and the risk of the next child being born with microcephaly but decided to have another child. They would have another girl and they named her Lola. Claire and Lola also have several other diseases including dwarfism, epilepsy, and cerebral palsy. Claire is now fifteen years old and living a very happy life and her sister Lola is ten years old and also living a very happy life (Itkowitz). Anna Dietzen gave birth to a baby boy she named Parker and everything seemed fine until at seven months old Parker was diagnosed with Joubert syndrome. Joubert syndrome is a genetic disease that affects the brain and can cause underdeveloped muscles. It is hard for those affected to walk, in fact Anna was told by Parker’s doctor
They wonder how they can take care of a child with special needs. The parents have careers and busy lives and in some families it just is not financially possible to take care of the medical needs of their soon to be baby so they opt to terminate the pregnancy. There is another option for expecting parents who feel there is nowhere else to turn. The answer is adoption. There are many couples who are unable to have children on their own so they adopt a child. If the parents give up the child for adoption, the child will receive the medical treatment he needs and may eventually find his forever family and can thrive and have a chance to live a happy and long life. Instead of aborting the pregnancy the children should be given up for adoption so that he can live and experience new things in a home with people who will love him and raise him and provide the necessities and many comforts for the children they adopt