Prenatal Genetic Testing, Abortion, and Disability Justice

The routinization of non-invasive prenatal genetic testing (NIPT) raises questions about disability rights and reproductive justice. Prenatal Genetic Testing, Abortion, and Disability Justice explores how NIPT can constrain pregnant women's options, causing many to choose termination. The book focuses on the US and addresses themes at the intersection of genetic medicine, policymaking, critical disabilities studies, and political theory. It provides concrete suggestions for reforming medical practice, welfare policy, and cultural norms surrounding disability to enable prospective parents to make free choices about prenatal genetic testing and selection abortion.

Format: Hardback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 23 March 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press

The routinization of non-invasive prenatal genetic testing (NIPT) has sparked significant concerns regarding disability rights and reproductive justice. Supporters argue that access to genetic information about the fetus enables prospective parents to make informed decisions about family planning. However, Prenatal Genetic Testing, Abortion, and Disability Justice challenges this notion by examining how NIPT can limit the choices available to pregnant women. Prospective parents face a complex array of factors, including the potential support they can expect from family, society, and finances if they decide to carry a disabled fetus to term and raise it after birth. This often leads many pregnant women to opt for termination.

Focusing on the United States, the book delves into the intent and consequences of prenatal screening in relation to women's bodily autonomy and disability rights. It addresses themes at the intersection of genetic medicine, policymaking, critical disabilities studies, and political theory. Authors Knight and Miller redefine debates about reprogenetics by shifting them from bioethics to political practice and critically analyzing the neoliberal state and the eugenic technologies that support it. The book offers practical suggestions for reforming medical practices, welfare policies, and cultural norms surrounding disability, aiming to empower prospective parents to make fully informed choices regarding prenatal genetic testing and selection abortion.

By highlighting areas of necessary reform, the book seeks to envision a future where prospective parents can make truly autonomous decisions about these sensitive matters, ensuring that their rights and choices are respected and protected.

Weight: 476g
Dimension: 161 x 241 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192870957