Prenatal genetic screening "may be inaccurate": American experts have developed a blood test which they say could be used to screen foetuses routinely for over 3,000 conditions like muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis. However, the researchers acknowledged the ability to predict the genetic code of a foetus at 18 weeks could lead to "many ethical questions" because it might lead to more abortions.
Some British experts have warned that the test -- still many years from clinical use -- may be more of a harm than a help because in many cases it would be difficult to predict how a mutation might affect children and how acute their disability might be. Others argued that any information parents can obtain to help them prepare for possible eventualities once the child is born should not be withheld.
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