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Questioning the Benefits of Routinising NIPT

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- By Bel Holmes, PhD (C)   Will expectant parents benefit if non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is offered in all pregnancies?   Photo by mali desha on Unsplash Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is a genetic screening test that involves analysing small fragments of DNA derived from the placenta that are found in the blood of pregnant persons. The results provide information as to whether a foetus has a higher chance of being born with Down Syndrome (or the less common Edward's and Patau Syndromes). This testing is becoming increasingly common for all pregnancies and is well on its way to becoming a part of routine prenatal care. This gives rise to some complex ethical concerns. The minimally invasive and increasingly routine nature of the test may affect the way expectant parents make their decision to undergo it. NIPT can amass large amounts of information, and this information has varying degrees of accuracy, which can make test results difficult to interpret to th...
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We're recruiting for our project team! Funded PhD stipend in Stakeholder views on Reproductive Autonomy

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  We are now recruiting a second PhD student for our TARGeT Project. This project will have a focus on empirical bioethics research. You'll be based that the School of Social Sciences and the Disability Innovation Institute, UNSW and will be supervised by Professor Jackie Leach Scully. Click here to learn more: UNSW PhD Stipend   (scroll down to the listing: "ARC PhD Scholarship in Stakeholder Views of Autonomy in Reproductive Genomics") The stipend is open to those who are legally able to work in Australia. Closing date is 23 July 2021 . 
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Introducing Bel Holmes: Our New PhD Student Joins TARGeT

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Hello! My name is Isabella Holmes, and I’m joining the TARGeT project team as a PhD student, writing on the theoretical aspects of autonomy in reproductive genomics.  I have moved from Melbourne to Sydney to join Ainsley Newson and Kathryn MacKay at Sydney Health Ethics, and so far have been especially enjoying living by the beach. I have been interested in reproductive ethics since studying bioethics electives during my undergraduate degree, but it wasn’t until I was trying to choose a topic for my honours thesis that I realised how much I had enjoyed reading and writing about the roles and expectations of parents. That lead to a year-long examination of philosophical justifications of parent-child relationships. I am grateful to be able to use the skills and concepts gained through that experience and apply them to an entirely new aspect of reproductive ethics for my PhD.   I’m incredibility excited to join the TARGeT project, especially the prospect of exploring notions of ...
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Motivation for the TARGeT project

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Photo by Mark Fletcher-Brown on Unsplash We're currently in the process of getting our project set up, and in coming months will continue to introduce you to our growing team and our work. In the meantime, we thought we'd say a little about why we developed the TARGeT project. The kernel of the idea came about when our lead Investigator (Prof Ainsley Newson, University of Sydney - we introduce her here ) started to look for a common thread in a few things: The tendency, particularly in clinical literature, to use 'autonomy' as a means of defending the expanding scope of prenatal testing.  A relative gap in the literature regarding constraints on reproductive autonomy, especially when compared to the (big) literature considering what the limits of reproductive autonomy should be (as in: how far people could or should push things).  A focus in the literature on autonomy as being decision-specific, and being facilitated by information - without recognising aspects such as...
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Introductions! Meet the TARGeT Team

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We thought we would take a moment to introduce ourselves! Please feel free to get in touch with any of us if you are interested in this project - or others that we're involved with. In no particular order, here we are, the TARGeT team: Prof. Ainsley Newson Professor Ainsley Newson works on the ethical and legal issues that arise in genomics and health. Her work critically considers how genomic technologies should be used well, in research, clinical and population health settings. Within this, she has a particular interest in reproductive ethics. Ainsley supports her work with degree qualifications in bioethics, law and science. In addition to her academicpost as Professor and Deputy Director at  Sydney   Health Ethics , University of Sydney, Ainsley is a member of several policy-making committees in bioethics and health for government and professional associations and she is an experienced media commentator on bioethics issues. Outside work, she is a parent/logistics co-coordi...
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We Are Recruiting! Funded PhD position in theories of reproductive autonomy

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TARGeT is excited to open applications for a new PhD Scholarship!  The project is entitled, “ Theories of Autonomy in Reproductive Genomics ." This PhD is a part of the theoretical branch of the overall project, and we're looking for someone with a background in philosophy or ethics, who is keen to do some conceptual exploration of reproductive autonomy and related themes. If you think you might be interested, please read on. Here are some details about this project: Theories of Autonomy in Reproductive Genomics: The use of genomic sequencing technologies in pregnancy and reproduction is attractive, not least because they promise to improve human welfare. Such technologies are having a big impact in medical testing more generally, spurred by innovations such as faster and cheaper DNA sequencing.  Yet information, which is now easily generated and proliferated, is almost never knowledge. It must be made meaningful to be useful. Despite this, society is easily seduc...
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Introducing TARGeT: a Project on Reproductive Autonomy in the Genomic Age

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Hello! Welcome to the blog about project TARGeT, funded by the Australian Research Council Discovery Project, grant DP200100006. We'd like to take a moment to introduce ourselves, and say a little bit about what this project sets out to achieve. First, here's the team: Professor Ainsley Newson Chief Investigator Sydney Health Ethics, The University of Sydney  Dr Kathryn MacKay Chief Investigator Sydney Health Ethics, The University of Sydney Professor Jackie Leach Scully Chief Investigator The University of New South Wales Dr Rosalind McDougall Chief Investigator The University of Melbourne  Assistant Prof Jan Hodgson Chief Investigator The University of Melbourne  Professor Brenda Wilson Partner Investigator Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada Now, here's what this project is about: This project aims to provide a better way to help people to think and reflect about new genetic tests in pregnancy.  The...
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