Tay-sachs disease: To screen or not to screen?

Occasional essay: Jewish perspective on prenatal diagnosis and selective abortion of affected fetuses, including some comparisons with prevailing catholic beliefs

“…[Bleich, 1968;Rosner, 1968;Klein, 19791. If there is a substantial risk that the fetus would be born with a deformity that would cause it to suffer severely, some authorities have said that it is permitted to terminate the pregnancy within the first 3 months [Klein, 19791. According to this view, in circumstances where it has been proven conclusively (by prenatal diagnosis or amniocentesis) that the fetus will be afflicted with a disorder such as Tay-Sachs disease, it is permitted to perform an abortion up to the 24th week of pregnancy [Rosner, 1976;Steinberg, 19801. It should be noted that the opinions expressed here are controversial. We think that the majority of Reform and Conservative rabbis and many Orthodox rabbis in the United States would support the position for prenatal testing and abortion of defective fetuses depending on the degree of affliction in the fetus and the mother's physical and mental health.…”