Table 3:

Most important benefits, challenges and guiding ethical principles related to the implementation of noninvasive prenatal testing

Factor	Participants, %	Change, % (R3 – R2)
Benefits
1. No risk of miscarriage	83.7	+13.0
2. Noninvasiveness	63.3	+1.2
3. Results available earlier in the pregnancy	53.1	+6.3
4. Requires only a blood draw	42.9	+5.0
5. Increased accuracy	30.6	+8.2
6. Enhances prospective parents’ ability to prepare	24.5	−11.7
7. Decreases anxiety for prospective parents	16.3	−7.8
8. Provides more information potentially useful for decision-making	16.3	−25.1
9. Answers specific needs	10.2	−3.6
10. Potential to expand conditions tested	4.1	−8.0
Challenges
1. Adequate counselling of patients	79.6	+19.3
2. Pressure to test	67.3	+10.4
3. Adequate education of health professionals	65.3	+10.1
4. Discrimination against people with disabilities	59.2	+10.9
5. Pressure to terminate	55.1	+10.3
6. Eugenics	46.9	+2.1
7. Potential decrease in social support for people with disabilities	44.9	+1.8
8. Routinization of prenatal testing	38.8	+0.9
9. Stigmatization of the parents of children living with the tested conditions	38.8	−0.9
10. Accuracy of the test	34.7	−1.5
11. Decrease in social diversity	34.7	+5.4
12. Adequate professional guidelines	32.7	−5.2
13. Consent	32.7	+1.7
14. Cost of implementation	32.7	−1.8
15. Selective pregnancy termination	32.7	−5.2
16. What conditions to test	30.6	+8.2
17. Increased number of terminated pregnancies	30.6	−0.4
18. Conflicts of interest linked to commercialization	28.6	−2.4
19. Misperceptions of the reliability testing	28.6	−11.1
20. Existence of adequate policies	28.6	−5.9
21. Respect of human rights	26.5	−4.5
22. Access-related issues	24.5	−1.4
23. Increased anxiety for prospective parents	18.4	−7.5
24. Conflict with religious values	14.3	+2.2
25. Assigning responsibility to care for the child	8.2	−0.4
26. Utility of the test	8.2	−12.5
27. Confidentiality of the results	2.0	−13.5
Principles
1. Informed decision-making	81.6	+2.3
2. Evidence-based decision-making	59.2	+8.9
3. Respect for human dignity	53.1	+2.3
4. Equitable access	51.0	+7.9
5. Free choice	51.0	−0.7
6. Fair resource allocation	46.9	+0.3
7. Respect for diversity	44.9	+1.8
8. Solidarity with people living with the tested conditions	44.9	−10.3
9. Human rights	40.8	+0.6
10. Equality between persons	38.8	+6
11. Nonmaleficence (do not harm)	36.7	−6.4
12. Autonomy	30.6	−7.3
13. Protection of privacy	28.6	−5.9
14. Sanctity of life	28.6	+4.5
15. Inclusiveness	22.4	−6.9
16. Beneficence	18.4	−5.7