A reader writes:
Jimmy. My wife and I are quite pleased that she is expecting our second child. We found out that she was pregnant and the first ultrasound/OB visit is coming up soon.
We did not do any fetal testing with our first child and don’t plan on doing any fetal testing with this child, but I have been unable to find any official church teaching on fetal testing. Obviously there is opposition to almost all abortion, but do you have a good resource for what would be acceptable?
Obviously amnio increases the risk for miscarriage.
Thanks in advance.
First, let me clarify what you wrote regarding abortion. Any deliberate killing of the unborn–either as a means or an end–is homicide and cannot be done, no matter the circumstances. Thus it does not matter if prenatal testing showed that the unborn had a horrible genetic disease. He still has a right to life and can’t be killed.
When and whether prenatal testing is okay depends on two things: (1) the good to be achieved by doing the test and (2) the danger the test itself poses to the child.
If (1) is proportionate to (2) the the test is morally licit. If it is not (i.e., if the danger to the child is proportionately greater than the good to be achieved by the test) then the test is immoral.
Some tests seem to pose little risk to the child and can be done as long as one isn’t tempted to do something immoral (like have an abortion) if one finds out that there is a problem with the child. I gather that ultrasound generally falls into this category.
Other tests, like amniocentesis, pose more of a risk to the child. Such riskier procedures could be performed if there is a proportionate good to be achieved, such as the ability to treat the child in utero and cure the problem. That isn’t possible in many cases yet, but with the growth of gene therapy and nanotechnology it will be possible to help more children in utero.
Things like doing an amnio just so you can find out if the kid has Downs so that he can be whacked, however, are immoral.
So would be (in a few years) doing gene therapy on the kid not to correct genetic flaws but to produce a "designer baby."
HERE’S A STATEMENT FROM THE USCCB FROM 1996 ON THE SUBJECT OF GENETIC TESTING.
From what I can tell, this statement doesn’t seem to have Magisterial authority, but it does contain a helpful summary of recent Magisterial interventions on this topic:
More and more frequently, expectant mothers are undergoing amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling, and other tests to detect genetic anomalies in their unborn children.
The most detailed Catholic teaching on this and related subjects appears in a 1987 statement from the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith called The Gift of Life (Donum Vitae). It asks: “Is prenatal diagnosis morally licit? If prenatal diagnosis respects the life and integrity of the embryo and the human fetus and is directed toward its safeguarding or healing as an individual, then the answer is affirmative” (sec. I, no. 2).
The Holy Father builds on this declaration in his recent encyclical The Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae), holding that prenatal diagnostic techniques are morally permissible “when they do not involve disproportionate risks for the child and the mother, and are meant to make possible early therapy or even to favor a serene and informed acceptance of the child not yet born” (no. 63).
However, some prenatal testing poses significant risks to the unborn child, especially when performed on embryos before selection for implantation in the womb. Disturbing test results can also tempt individuals to make decisions not in accord with sound morality. The Holy Father goes on to note:
But since the possibilities of prenatal therapy are today still limited, it not infrequently happens that these techniques are used with a eugenic intention which accepts selective abortion in order to prevent the birth of children affected by various types of anomalies. Such an attitude is shameful and utterly reprehensible, since it presumes to measure the value of a human life only within the parameters of “normality” and physical well-being, thus opening the way to legitimizing infanticide and euthanasia. (no. 63)
Hope this helps, and congratulations on your new pre-born baby!
When an early ultrasound showed a cystic hygroma on our baby’s neck (around 8 weeks gestation), our doctor sent us to a genetic counselor. They offered us additional tests (amnio, CVS). We talked about it, prayed about it, and asked our priest about the tests.
We pretty much got the same answer (and arrived at it ourselves, as well). Since the possibilities indicated by the hygroma were all non-treatable, there was really no reason to get the tests and increase the risk of miscarriage. I mean, why endanger the baby when the tests weren’t going to change a thing?
The hygroma resolved itself by the standard 20-week ultrasound, and all the non-invasive tests showed no indications of any abnormalities (quad-screen, ultrasound/EEG…EKG? Can’t remember which E_G).
Thanks to God and the prayers of a lot of people, Mya (almost 4 months already!) was born perfectly healthy.
My wife is pregnant with our fifth child. Our routine ultrasound at 20 weeks revealed the baby has anencephaly. Both doctors that we talked with offered the option of “termination” as they casually put it. Fortuneately, a swift “There is no way you are doing that to our child!” put an end to all discussion about that.
The good thing about this is that we have had time to prepare. This preparation has occurred in both the spiritual life as well as for the birth. It forces a person to turn back to God knowing that in human terms nothing can be done. And it has drawn us closer to many people who are now praying daily for us. It also makes us appreciate the time we do have with Angela.
Danny —
I’ll be praying for you three, too.
Ultrasounds have come a long way in being able to diagnose more and more defects. The technology of ultrasounds have made there be even less reason to get amnio than ever before. There are many defects that are not genetic at all and so won’t be picked up by amnio, and even among genetic disorders, it will only tell you that your child has the disorder, but not exactly what defects they have. Having a diagnosis of Down Syndrome does not tell you for example if your child has a heart defect or not (and if so, what type of heart defect, which there are many).
Danny – there are not many situations tougher than yours. Prayers for you and your wife. We had friends who dealt with this too and they found some solace in on-line support groups for other parents suffering with this diagnosis. God bless you.
I wrote about prenatal testing in some of my articles on the Spero Forum site, if anyone is interested in a Catholic midwife’s perspective.
Danny – there are a couple of great resources out there for folks in your situation. The BeNotAfraid web site( http://www.benotafraid.net/)is one, and the Carrying to Term webpage (www.geocities.com/tabris02/ ) is another. The second page is run by Jane Leback, who wrote an article recently on carrying to term that was published by Right to Life in their newsletter. She was a wonderful support for a patient of mine in a similar situation.
Danny, my prayers are with you and your family. Twenty-four years ago this month, my youngest brother was stillborn due to anencephaly. Of course, since this was before the prevalence of ultrasounds, we had no clue until my mom went in to deliver and the doctor couldn’t find the baby’s heartbeat (he had been alive until the last few days, we believe, before she went to have him). But she said something to me later that would make me firmly anti-abortion, even if I weren’t Catholic – even if she’d known early in the pregnancy how it was going to turn out, she would have never opted to terminate the pregnancy. She knew that she had done everything she possibly could to bring him to term and she treasures the nine months she carried him and those few moments that she was able to hold him in her arms. In fact, it was her grief over his death that led her to join the rest of the family in the Catholic Church – our priest counseled her after my brother’s death and was a great comfort to her.
Alicia,
How could anyone ‘not’ be interested in a Catholic midwife’s perspective?
With regard to your comment, I have found the following link invaluable. (you may well have passed it on to me in our previous discussions, I don’t recall) It is ‘specific diagnosis grouped’ – still leading to benotafraid.com – but offering quick links to specific diagnosis situations.
http://afterabortion.blogspot.com/2006/01/from-black-leather-and-lipstick-to.html
God Bless.
Thank you all for your kind comments and prayers. When we first heard the news, the doctor said that 1 in 1500 babies have anencephaly though we had never heard of even one. But since then we have come across quite a few people that have had babies with similar problems. I am just glad that we have knowledge of this ahead of time since it is allowing us to enjoy the time with Angela while she is in the womb. It is also giving us time to pray for a miracle…
The prenatal testing is really important.If I haven;t done it today I wouldn’t have been able to look at myhealthy child.And now when being pregnant for the second time I would do it again and then go to buy a prenatal cradle. 🙂