Principles, practices and promises of prenatal screening: Ethical and social aspects of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) and the expansion of the scope of prenatal screening

The following research questions are addressed in this thesis.
Part I: The ethical framework for prenatal screening: theory and practice
1. What is the ethical framework of prenatal screening and how could this guide the expansion of its scope? (Chapter 2)
2. What do pregnant women think about ethical and social aspects of NIPT and the possible expansion of its scope? (Chapter 3)
3. What do parents of children with Down’s syndrome think about NIPT and the possible expansion of its scope? (Chapter 4)
Part II: Conceptual and empirical analyses of ethical and social issues of prenatal screening.
1. How could informed consent and pre-test counselling serve the aim of prenatal screening at best? (Chapter 5)
2. What is meant with the concept of routinisation? Are the related routinisation arguments valid? (Chapter 6)
3. What are the Dutch public’s attitudes towards prenatal screening and could they lead to societal pressure? (Chapter 7)
4. Should prenatal screening be fully reimbursed? (Chapter 8)