Running head: TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY

Genetic Screening for Selective Termination of Pregnancy

Sarah Pollock
Dixie State University
Nursing 4030-Nursing Policy and Ethics

Termination of pregnancy is an ethically hard subject with all different kinds of people,
but when you add the factor in that the baby has genetic abnormalities like Down syndrome or
others that might make the baby only have days to live, people think differently. In this paper I
will be explaining the benefits of early termination and the reasons why to keep the baby for
spiritual reasons, physical reasons, and more. It can be very hard on parents to keep a child with
abnormalities, but it can be very traumatic for the parents to terminate the pregnancy also.
Termination of Pregnancy
Background
Before the 1960s, people didnt really have the option of any kind of genetic testing, now
it is possible to test the baby while it is only a couple of weeks old. This brought up the question
of terminating the pregnancy because of this genetic abnormality. Because there are tests for all
kind of defects in the fetus including, tubal defects, trisomy 21, trisomy 18, trisomy 12 and more
(Genetic, 2016). After the parents have the testing done, they then have the decision of whether
to terminate the pregnancy or not. In one study done, there was a 20% chance of Hispanics and
more than a 90% chance for others to terminate the pregnancy if there was a genetic abnormality
in the fetus. They have found that in cases of Down syndrome it is around 85% of the parents
that terminate pregnancy and less for less severe conditions. The most difficult part is that these
genetic testings can have false positives. This is why ultrasounds of the fetus are so important to
confirm the possibility of the fetus having the genetic condition (Press, 2008).
Once the debate started over if it is ethical to terminate a pregnancy because of
abnormalities, Pro-Life and Pro-Choice activists both started lobbying their sides of the story and
trying to get the government involved. It is at the moment legal in most states, except North
Dakota, to terminate the pregnancy if there is a genetic abnormality. Because of this, Pro-Life

activists are not very happy and want this to change. There are some countries that it is illegal to
get an abortion because the baby has genetic abnormalities, but not very many countries have
made it illegal, giving the decision to the mother (Leak, 2013).
Positives of Termination
There are many positives of terminating pregnancy when there is a genetic abnormality,
but one of the most common ones is the stress and the amount of money it costs to keep a baby
with genetic abnormalities. Because the baby can have more risks of getting sick, this increases
doctor bills by needing to go in for more check-ups, more blood work, and many more expensive
tests. The child then needs to be put in special education classes and even after they graduate, the
parents might need to pay for them to be in a daycare or a group home. This can put a lot of
stress on the mother and father especially if they are already having money issues. There are
women and men that have personal reasons for wanting to terminate pregnancies that have
genetic abnormalities (Harmon, 2007). They many have seen a brother, sister, or even a friend
that had a child with the abnormality and do not want that kind of life for their child. There are
many different reasons that women can choose not to continue the pregnancy and that is an
option for them. It does not come down to if the doctor thinks it is the right idea, it is ultimately
up to the mother and father if the pregnancy should continue (News Medical, 2010).
The Pro-Choice movement is very involved in this debate if it is ethical to terminate the
pregnancy. They have some very good points when it comes to terminating a pregnancy due to
abnormalities. When a family already can see the problems that come with that genetic mutation
and has another pregnancy that could be the same type of child, this makes them predisposed to
wanting to terminate the pregnancy. Because the family can then see how much work that child
was to raise, or the pressure that they had put on them because of having a child with that

disability, they can then make a decision to not have that baby. Another reason that Pro-Choice
says that many women choose to terminate is because they have a predisposed genetic condition
like ALS that the mother has seen their parents or uncles go through and how horrible it can be.
This has the parents of this child thinking of if it is worth it to bring this child into the world and
know that they will eventually get this life ending disease that is torcher to go through at the end
of life (Genetics, n.d.).
In an article, it talks about how a young mother wants genetic testing done of her child
because her father had Huntingtons disease. It explains how the mother had watched her father
go through the horrible disease and he is currently in the late stages of the disease when she
became pregnant. When the doctor came back and told her that her baby did have the
predisposing factors, she decided to terminate the pregnancy because she did not want to put her
child through what she watched her father go through even though that child could have a normal
life until the disease started. This young woman didnt want to make her child go through the
pain and torcher that she watched her father go through (Schols, Marckmann, 2005).
Not Terminating Pregnancies
There are many women out there that decide to keep the baby even after they learn that
their child might have a genetic disorder. There are all different reasons that women decide to
keep the pregnancy but one of the biggest reasons is religious. Many church groups disapprove
abortion for any reason, except rape. Pope Benedict of the Catholic Church has made speeches
about Pro-Life and how the church needs to make sure that they are not using abortions of any
kind (Ertelt, 2009). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has also come out and
counseled its members to not use abortion of any kind unless it was because of rape or the
mothers life is in danger because of the pregnancy (Nelson, 2008). Religion has a very big

impact on many people and its members, and if their church counselor tells them that it is not
appropriate for them to do this, they listen. Some have their own opinion on why it is not
ethically correct, and others just follow their leaders.
Another concern that people have is that when we are doing genetic testing and
terminating the pregnancies of the Down syndrome babies or other genetic abnormalities, they
are then discriminating against disabled people. Because we are not letting these babies live, we
are making a choice for them and saying that because they have an abnormality, they cannot live
and they are not as good as the rest of us. There is an article that compares this genetic testing
and termination of pregnancy to what they were doing in Germany in 1933. The government was
telling the people that had any kind of mental health disease or blind/deafness to be sterilized and
not be able to have children. This law was upheld and punished if found that they were not
following it or if doctors were not telling the courts if someone had a disease. If we are
terminating every pregnancy that has an abnormality, we are depriving these babies of life and
discriminating against them (Ertelt, 2012).
Conclusion
I believe that it is not ethical to terminate a pregnancy because there are genetic
abnormalities or a problem with the child. If my mother would have listened to her doctors
before I was born, I would not be here today. When my mother went in for her first ultrasound
with me, they said I had spina bifida and it was a very bad case. They advised her to terminate
the pregnancy and then she would not have to go through the heart break of raising a child in a
wheel chair and with many disabilities. My mother told them no because she wanted the baby
even if it had problems, I was still her child. When I was born, I did not have spina bifida, and I
was a perfectly healthy baby girl. If they would have aborted my pregnancy, they would have

gotten rid of a perfectly healthy person that could live a normal life because there was a
possibility that I would have been a hard baby to raise and take care of. I know that there are
special cases out there that need different consideration, but I personally think that in the
Fairness ethical frame work, if we are terminating pregnancies because they have a chance of
having a hard life, we are not treating everyone the same or giving them a chance at life.
Discrimination cannot be justified and we need to be these childs voices that dont have a voice
because it is not fair to choose for someone just because you think their life would be hard.

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