ABSTRACT

A first clinical trial has started and more will follow to investigate the effectiveness and safety of fetal treatment for Down Syndrome (DS), aimed at raising the future child’s IQ through maternally administered pharmacotherapy. Fundamental criticism based on the ‘social model of disability’ does not seem convincing. Whether fetal treatment for DS is ethical, depends on whether it improves the child’s quality of life, without imposing disproportionate burdens and risks upon the pregnant woman. Should this become established treatment, it will provide an additional reproductive option for those carrying a fetus with trisomy 21 that is not entirely morally neutral.