Commentary by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS

A new, non-invasive prenatal test that can screen unborn babies for up to 3,500 genetic disorders is raising questions about how results could lead to an increase in abortions.

Fox News is reporting that according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine, scientists from the University of Washington in Seattle successfully sequenced the entire genome of an unborn baby by using a blood sample from the mother and saliva from the father.

Relying on tiny traces of free-floating DNA from the baby which makes its way into the mother’s blood, her DNA, and the DNA extracted from the saliva, scientists were able to fit the pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle and reconstruct the entire genetic code of an unborn baby boy with amazing accuracy. By checking their prediction of the baby’s genetic code against actual DNA taken after the child’s birth, the research team found they were able to identify 39 of 44 mutations in the child.

The non-invasive test could replace the more invasive tests in use today, such as amniocentesis, which is used to detect a relatively small number of genetic defects such as Down’s syndrome, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy and spina bifada. The new test, however, would be far more comprehensive and allow doctors to screen for thousands of genetic disorders.

“This opens up the possibility of prenatally diagnosing a much broader range of genetic conditions,”  researcher Dr. Jay Shendure, associate professor of genome sciences at the University of Washington, told FoxNews.com.  “There are roughly 3000 Mendelian disorders for which we understand the genetic basis. Each of the diseases is incredibly rare, but collectively they account for one percent of new births.”

This medical breakthrough has a downside, however, in that it’s use will be primarily to forewarn parents that a child they are expecting has a genetic disorder which many believe will lead to more abortions. 

“The less tangible implication of incorporating this level of information into pre-natal decision-making raises many ethical questions that must be considered carefully within the scientific community and on a societal level,” the researchers warned.

“As in other areas of clinical genetics, our capacity to generate data is outstripping our ability to interpret it in ways that are useful to physicians and patients.”

Josephine Quintavalle, founder of the UK’s Pro-Life Alliance, put it more bluntly.

“One always hopes, vainly, that in utero testing will be for the benefit of the unborn child,” she said. “But, whilst this new test may not itself be invasive, given our past track record, it is difficult to imagine that this new test will not lead to more abortions.”

While some are saying that this new test will open the door to a world without birth defects, Rebecca Taylor, a pro-life clinical laboratory specialist in molecular biology, made an important clarification to LifeNews.

“The suggestion is that prenatal testing, in conjunction with abortion, eliminates genetic defects. Yet, in reality the genetic defect still exists; it is the people with the genetic defect that are eliminated.”

While the new test might be a scientific marvel, using it to kill the diseased – which is what was done to the handicapped in primitive cultures – can hardly be called a scientific advance. 

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