Prenatal Genomic Testing
The expansion of prenatal genomic testing—such as non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) and prenatal exome sequencing (pES)—raises complex ethical and social questions. As these technologies become more accessible and cover a broader spectrum of conditions, their integration into routine care calls for context-sensitive ethical analysis.
Some Key Questions
Key ethical questions include how to uphold reproductive autonomy while ensuring informed consent in a landscape of increasingly complex and low-risk testing. How should societies balance individual choice with concerns about disability rights, human dignity, and potential eugenic effects? What constitutes just access to prenatal testing, and how do regulatory, financial, and cultural contexts shape that access in different healthcare systems, including in Switzerland?
Our research addresses these questions by examining how prenatal genomic testing is offered, perceived, and navigated by patients and providers. We critically assess the ethical implications of expanding prenatal screening beyond high-risk groups and explore how existing ethical frameworks must adapt to evolving technologies and diverse social realities. Special attention is given to underexplored contexts such as Switzerland, where local medical practices and regulatory frameworks differ from those in countries that dominate the literature.