Prenatal Testing - Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues Flashcards
What are the two values concerning reproductive technologies that could come into conflict with each other?
Reproductive autonomy and inclusiveness and rights of individuals with disabilities or diseases
Does Canada have any laws restricting access to abortions?
No. It is viewed as none of the judicial system’s business and only a decision to be made between a woman and her healthcare provider
How much does the UK regulate assisted reproductive technologies?
Heavily regulated. Comprehensive legislation exists for who can provide prenatal tests and who can get them and when
Are the clinics that perform prenatal tests regulated in the UK?
They have to be licensed. They need licenses to carry out certain tests and certain combinations of tests
Is social sex selection of an embryo allowed in the UK?
No, it is illegal
How much does Canada regulate assisted reproductive technologies?
Not a lot, but there still is a bit of legislation
Are the clinics that perform prenatal tests regulated in Canada?
Not by legislation. Healthcare services have conduct rules that doctors follow but there is no federal agency anymore that monitors the clinics
Is social sex selection of an embryo allowed in Canada?
No, illegal as in the UK
Why did the board overseeing the fertility clinics in Canada get shut down?
Quebec took the legislation to court for infringing on provincial autonomy. The law was never implemented and it was too expensive to maintain
What legislation regulating reproductive technologies still exists in Canada?
Commercial trade of eggs, sperm, and surrogacy services is prohibited. Human cloning that ultimately includes gene editing is also prohibited
How much the US regulate assisted reproductive technologies?
Very little to nothing. Anything goes, basically the “wild west”
What prenatal tests can be done in the US?
Anything the patient wants as long as they can pay for it
Does the US allow social sex selection of an embryo?
Yes if you can pay for it
What are the 4 ways prenatal testing can create challenges for informed consent?
- Pressure to participate in routine procedures
- Lack of relevant info and consistency
- Directive communication of info
- Ableism
Why might pressure to participate in routine procedures compromise informed consent?
An individual might not get the information about which tests are screening for genetic conditions and which ones are for other stuff. It can be hard for an individual to question the necessity of routine tests or say no
Why might lack of relevant infor compromise informed consent?
Especially for tests that don’t have a lot of risks, info and outcomes of the test might not be given in enough detail
Why might directive communication of the info compromise informed consent?
No guidelines exist for what information needs to be presented, so information received can vary from healthcare provider to healthcare provider
Why might ableism compromise informed consent?
Stereotypes about disabled people can pressure a woman to terminate the pregnancy if an aneuploidy is detected, pressured to think the worst thing to do would be to bring that child into the world
Why can informed consent for non-invasive prenatal testing get a bit lax?
Less risks associated with the test, and it is highly accurate and can be seen as routine
Is non-invasive prenatal testing covered by Alberta health care?
No, so it creates an inequity of access based on who has that money
How can prenatal testing and PGD promote a consumerist attitude towards babies?
By enabling the parents to select an embryo based on desired traits and sex, so these children come into the world with all these expectations
What is the social model of disability?
The condition itself isn’t what is disabling, but living in a society that doesn’t accommodate is what is disabling
What is the medical model of disability?
Disability is a problem that needs to be fixed
