{"id":197237,"date":"2019-03-01T09:51:42","date_gmt":"2019-03-01T15:51:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=197237"},"modified":"2019-02-25T14:00:54","modified_gmt":"2019-02-25T20:00:54","slug":"israel-genetic-testing-increase-abortions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/israel-genetic-testing-increase-abortions\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel’s new genetic testing has potential to increase abortions significantly"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Touted as “risk free,” a new blood test from researchers at Tel Aviv University could be paving the way for more abortions by playing on fears of fetal anomalies as a reason for taking the life of a preborn baby. The leading Israel and Palestine newspaper, Haaretz reports<\/a>, “Researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU) have developed a blood test to check a fetus for genetic problems in the first trimester, at infinitely greater resolution than existing techniques, and at zero risk to the mother or baby….”<\/p>\n

Haaretz adds<\/a> that while the test has yet to be commercialized, it is meant to replace amniocentesis and microvilli testing, and would be performed far earlier in pregnancy, according to Prof. Noam Shomron of TAU\u2019s Sackler School of Medicine. Shomron has based this conclusion on samples of pregnancies at 10-12 weeks, versus the usual 14-20 for amniocentesis — but the reason for the focus of 10-12 weeks is rather disturbing. Haaretz writes:<\/p>\n

Why did the university focus on weeks 10 to 12? \u201cJust because that\u2019s the samples we received,\u201d Shomron told Haaretz. \u201cWe are trying to reduce this timeline to day 40.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

That is not a random aspiration. In Jewish practice, fetal termination is permissible until the 40th day of pregnancy, but existing technologies for genertic [sic] testing are much too late for that.<\/em><\/p>\n