Antenatal screening for Down’s syndrome has been part of the routine landscape of
obstetrical practice since the late 1980s. Since that time genetic markers used to
screen for Down’s syndrome have been refined, and antenatal screening is now available
in the first trimester of a woman’s pregnancy. This article examines the ethical
concerns of antenatal screening for Down’s syndrome. Personal autonomy, right to
privacy, justice, nonmalefacence, beneficence, and veracity are important values to
the discussion of antenatal testing. Ethical concerns about these values impact both
families and health care providers. Now that first-trimester screening is available, will more pregnant women get the screening?