Fetal screening refers to any tests that allow a fetus to be tested for certain traits or characteristics. Fetus at eight weeks A fetus (alternatively foetus or fœtus) is an unborn vertebrate offspring after the embryonary stage. ...

Most often this is performed to test for birth defects. Common procedures include amniocentesis, sonograms, nuchal translucency testing, or genetic screening. The tests can be used to check for conditions such as Down syndrome, spina bifida, cleft palate, Tay Sachs disease, sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, cystic fibrosis, and fragile x syndrome. In some cases, the tests are administered to determine if the fetus will be aborted. A congenital disorder is a medical condition or defect that is present at or before birth (for example, congenital heart disease). ... Amniocentesis is a medical procedure used for prenatal diagnosis, in which a small amount of amniotic fluid is extracted from the amnion around a developing fetus. ... A sonogram may refer to the following: A readout from an ultrasound examination. ... Sickle-shaped red blood cells Sickle cell anemia (American English), sickle cell anaemia (British English) or sickle cell disease is a genetic disease in which red blood cells may change shape under certain circumstances. ... Thalassemia (American English) (or Thalassaemia in British English) is an inherited disease of the red blood cells, classified as a hemoglobinopathy. ... An abortion is the premature termination of pregnancy ending in the death of the embryo or fetus. ...

In some cases, fetal screening has been done to determine characteristics generally not considered birth defects. In some parts of the world, if a fetus is determined to be female, it is sometimes aborted. The rise of designer babies and parental selection for specific traits raises a host of bioethical and legal issues that will dominate reproductive rights debates in the 21st century. Female symbol Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces egg cells. ... The term designer babies has been used in popular scientific and bioethics literature to specify children whose hereditary makeup (genes and genome) can be, using various reproductive and genetic technologies, purposefully selected (designed) by their parents. ... Bioethics is the ethics of biological science and medicine. ... Reproductive rights refer to rights in the areas of abortion, birth control, and family planning. ...