Prenatal Screening: Quality Control and the Genetics Gateway

Abstract

This thesis critically evaluates the progress of prenatal genetic testing, and how it, along with concurrent social pressures (such as the goal of having the ideal child) may have altered parental decision-making, autonomy, and attitudes toward children. Distinctive to this thesis is the analysis of prenatal genetic testing with a view of the eugenic history of genetics and public health initiatives in maternal health. This thesis will describe what current genetic screening pursuits may indicate with this historical understanding. I will discuss the dynamics of these subjects, and how they correspond with current social demands for perfection and the growing commodification of children. With this analysis I will attempt to shed greater light upon how our current prenatal screening technologies can modify the parent/child relationship, and what this may mean as medical science and technology advance. This thesis will be organized in a three-chapter format, providing a historical viewpoint and analysis of salient ethical issues.