Testing for potential genetic defects in a developing fetus has become a common component of prenatal care.
However, the ability to terminate a pregnancy due to a profound or fatal genetic deformity is being limited or even eliminated altogether in states that have imposed new abortion restrictions in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade’s constitutionally protected right to abortion.
“Depending on the laws, [testing providers] may not be able to deliver results in a timeframe that would allow for patients to consider termination,” added Lauren Doyle, a certified genetic counselor and the director of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s Genetic Counseling program.