The Nuffield Council on Bioethics in the UK has called for a ban on non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for the purposes of sex selective abortion if the baby is not a boy. While sex selection is not legal grounds for abortion in the UK, it continues to occur, as the ethics body noted. Significantly, the ethics body did not call for a ban on NIPT with the intent of aborting children diagnosed with downs syndrome or genetic disorders, which impact girls as well as boys. This raises further ethical concerns regarding the dignity and protection of people facing a disability or sickness.

Henry Bodkin, The Telegraph, March 1, 2017.

URL: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/01/ban-early-pregnancy-blood-test-curb-abortion-baby-girls-ethics/