NIPT: dynamics and ethics of prenatal screening

The Health Council of the Netherlands advises the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport to grant a permit for a pilot introduction of NIPT, a new type of test which can be used to detect in the pregnant woman’s blood whether a fetus is affected by a serious congenital disorder, such as Down’s syndrome. The test will become available for women who are at a relatively high risk of carrying a fetus with Down’s syndrome. This approach means that fewer women have to undergo chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis. For the moment, NIPT will be an additional test, after the so called combined test.