Oral Presentation Australasian Association of Bioethics and Health Law Conference

Personal values, professional responsibilities and non-invasive prenatal screening: Reflections of genetic counsellors in Australia (1883)

Chanelle Warton 1 , Danya Vears 2
  1. Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
  2. Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia

While the personal values of healthcare professionals may promote autonomous reproductive decision-making in light of increasingly complex genetic information arising from non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), they may also impinge upon reproductive autonomy through limiting patient access to care. This presentation reports empirical findings that provide timely insight into genetic counsellors’ views on potential conflicts between healthcare professionals’ personal moral values and their professional responsibilities in provision of NIPT. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 genetic counsellors involved in the provision of NIPT in Australia. Data was analysed using inductive content analysis. Genetic counsellors reported emerging conflicts in personal values where NIPT was used to detect conditions perceived to have mild phenotypes. Instances of NIPT provision being impacted by conscientious objections to abortion among colleagues were also reported. Participants empathised with concerns of disability discrimination arising from the provision of NIPT but suggested that this could be addressed through nuances in counselling practice. Participants viewed personal values that impeded patient access to care as incompatible with reproductive autonomy. These findings have important implications for how reproductive autonomy is operationalised in prenatal genetic counselling practice, particularly as the complexity and quantity of genetic information returned via NIPT continues to increase.