I’ve had several people ask me my opinion on the new prenatal test, Sequenom, that’s attempting to make it’s way out into the medical field. I truely have mixed feelings, especially since I recieved a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome when I was pregnant with Joey. When we knew there was a chance Joey was going to have Down syndrome, I needed to know for my own sanity. He was going to be my first child and since he had several markers on the ultrasounds, I wanted to be prepared. As Pope John Paul II said about prenatal testing, “for serene acceptance.”
I am for prenatal testing when the parents want to use it to prepare themselves if their child is going to have Down syndrome or any other genetic abnormality. My fear with this new, less invasive test will cause more terminations. Yes, it’s going to be better than amnio or CVS since there’s no harm to the baby involved, but with this test, there’s going to be more prenatal diagnosis’s that wouldn’t have been found before by parents who didn’t want to risk their pregnancy by amnio or CVS but would possibly abort if they knew.
I have read several articles lately that are talking about this new test, Sequenom, that have said the test is not as accurate as what was first thought. Stocks in this tests company have gone down. Gee, I wonder why??
An Epidemic, Delayed
By Daniel Allott on 6.8.09 @ 6:08AM
Technological advancements have afforded many benefits to the pro-life cause. Ultrasound imaging has revealed the child in the womb as a living, feeling human being, and at earlier stages than previously thought possible. The widespread use of such technology helps explain significant shifts towards the pro-life position — both in sentiment and in deed, especially among young Americans — over the last fifteen years.
But medical technology has had some negative effects, too, especially for unborn babies with disabilities. Ultrasound imaging is routinely employed to discern genetic abnormalities in unborn children and to end the lives of those who fail to meet the standards of a culture that increasingly views genetic perfection as an entitlement.
This month, Sequenom, a company that makes genetic analysis products, was set to release a new genetic test for Down syndrome. The test, called SEQureDX, has been hailed by some as “the Holy Grail of genetic testing,” because it is safer and more accurate than any previous prenatal genetic test. But once it hits the market, SEQureDX may become known for something far less inspiring: as a leading tool for the elimination of an entire class of people.
Currently, prenatal genetic testing involves a combination of blood tests and ultrasounds to determine whether an unborn child faces significant risk of having a disability. Some women undergo further testing to confirm or rule out a diagnosis. The most common test in amniocentesis, in which amniotic fluid is extracted from the amniotic sac surrounding the baby. Fetal DNA in the tissue contained in the fluid is then examined for genetic abnormalities.
But many women eschew amniocentesis. Not only must amniocentesis wait until the second trimester of pregnancy, but it also carries a significant risk of miscarriage (as high as 2 percent) and risks causing fetal abnormalities, pre-term birth and fetal trauma.
The new tests, including SEQureDX, are less invasive, more accurate and can detect a broader range of fetal conditions with more sophisticated blood tests that examine a baby’s genetic information in DNA that circulate in the mother’s bloodstream.
Though the new tests are safer for both mother and child, they will create a profoundly unsafe environment for babies who test positive for genetic abnormalities. (more…)
I’ve had several people ask me my opinion on the new prenatal test, Sequenom, that’s attempting to make it’s way out into the medical field. I truely have mixed feelings, especially since I recieved a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome when I was pregnant with Joey. When we knew there was a chance Joey was going to have Down syndrome, I needed to know for my own sanity. He was going to be my first child and since he had several markers on the ultrasounds, I wanted to be prepared. As Pope John Paul II said about prenatal testing, “for serene acceptance.”
I am for prenatal testing when the parents want to use it to prepare themselves if their child is going to have Down syndrome or any other genetic abnormality. My fear with this new, less invasive test will cause more terminations. Yes, it’s going to be better than amnio or CVS since there’s no harm to the baby involved, but with this test, there’s going to be more prenatal diagnosis’s that wouldn’t have been found before by parents who didn’t want to risk their pregnancy by amnio or CVS but would possibly abort if they knew.
I have read several articles lately that are talking about this new test, Sequenom, that have said the test is not as accurate as what was first thought. Stocks in this tests company have gone down. Gee, I wonder why??
An Epidemic, Delayed
By Daniel Allott on 6.8.09 @ 6:08AM
Technological advancements have afforded many benefits to the pro-life cause. Ultrasound imaging has revealed the child in the womb as a living, feeling human being, and at earlier stages than previously thought possible. The widespread use of such technology helps explain significant shifts towards the pro-life position — both in sentiment and in deed, especially among young Americans — over the last fifteen years.
But medical technology has had some negative effects, too, especially for unborn babies with disabilities. Ultrasound imaging is routinely employed to discern genetic abnormalities in unborn children and to end the lives of those who fail to meet the standards of a culture that increasingly views genetic perfection as an entitlement.
This month, Sequenom, a company that makes genetic analysis products, was set to release a new genetic test for Down syndrome. The test, called SEQureDX, has been hailed by some as “the Holy Grail of genetic testing,” because it is safer and more accurate than any previous prenatal genetic test. But once it hits the market, SEQureDX may become known for something far less inspiring: as a leading tool for the elimination of an entire class of people.
Currently, prenatal genetic testing involves a combination of blood tests and ultrasounds to determine whether an unborn child faces significant risk of having a disability. Some women undergo further testing to confirm or rule out a diagnosis. The most common test in amniocentesis, in which amniotic fluid is extracted from the amniotic sac surrounding the baby. Fetal DNA in the tissue contained in the fluid is then examined for genetic abnormalities.
But many women eschew amniocentesis. Not only must amniocentesis wait until the second trimester of pregnancy, but it also carries a significant risk of miscarriage (as high as 2 percent) and risks causing fetal abnormalities, pre-term birth and fetal trauma.
The new tests, including SEQureDX, are less invasive, more accurate and can detect a broader range of fetal conditions with more sophisticated blood tests that examine a baby’s genetic information in DNA that circulate in the mother’s bloodstream.
Though the new tests are safer for both mother and child, they will create a profoundly unsafe environment for babies who test positive for genetic abnormalities. (more…)