Advances in foetal screening are presenting doctors and parents with ethical and emotional dilemmas.
Thirty years ago an expectant mother might get a scan or maybe an amniocentesis if she was at risk of carrying a child with Down’s Syndrome. Now there are a barrage of tests and screenings that can take place. In the UK around 700,000 women will become pregnant every year and every one of these will be offered some form of testing. As a result, more than 35,000 women will be told there is a risk that their unborn baby may have a serious abnormality, leaving parents with the agonising decision of what to do next. Professor Charles Rodeck is one of the country’s leading experts in foetal medicine. He talks about technological advances and the enormous emotional stresses they put on parents.
