How important is prenatal testing?

Prenatal testing is a chance for doctors and parents to find out if there is anything medically wrong with a fetus before birth. This testing can help to plan out a woman’s care during pregnancy, labor, delivery and certain aspects of care that are necessary after the baby is born. Parents who find out that their baby might have a serious medical condition have to make the decision about whether they will continue on with the pregnancy or terminate it.

Why is prenatal testing important?

Even if terminating a pregnancy isn’t an option, prenatal testing can provide parents with a warning that the baby will need special care. In some cases, knowledge of a problem with the baby can help the mother to prepare to go to a high level hospital for her labor and delivery so that the baby can get the necessary care at birth.

Why is incorrect prenatal results an issue?

Not having an accurate result on a prenatal test can be an issue if the parents would have wanted to terminate the pregnancy or were unable to plan for the medical care the baby needs at birth. In both of these cases, it is possible for legal action to come into the picture for wrongful birth or failure to diagnose.

Determining how to handle a case that involves improper prenatal test result interpretation can be difficult. Oftentimes, these cases will involve complex medical factors and complicated legal concepts. Knowing how to work through the issues is crucial if you plan to file a claim for compensation based on the negative effects of botched prenatal testing.

Source: FindLaw, “Prenatal Testing and Liability for Wrongful Birth,” Ephrat Livni, Esq., accessed July 28, 2016