TARGeT

- 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...

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 ...