{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,4]],"date-time":"2026-05-04T04:28:40Z","timestamp":1777868920784,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"S. Karger AG","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2009,11,26]],"date-time":"2009-11-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1259193600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/karger.com\/pages\/terms-and-conditions"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2009,11,26]],"date-time":"2009-11-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1259193600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/karger.com\/pages\/terms-and-conditions"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Fetal Diagn Ther"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The impact of reproductive genetic testing (preconceptional and prenatal screening for genetic diseases) on women in the third world must take into account the many aspects that characterize underdevelopment: poverty; little access to education; housing; adequate nutrition; health services, and other. In these countries women usually suffer from male domination in a number of aspects of their lives, including reproduction. Illiteracy is high, particularly among women. Infant mortality and fertility rates are high, and the primary causes of death are infectious diseases and malnutrition. Health services are poorly organized, and family planning and prenatal care programs are deficient. Although abortions are illegal, they outnumber live births 3:1. Maternal mortality is 10\u2013100 times higher than in industrialized nations, and complications of illegal abortions are one of its main causes. This description applies to the majority of the population and contrasts with that of the small segment of well-to-do upper classes, who have access to education, housing and health services that include family planning, prenatal care and reproductive genetic testing. By and large, all main cities count with clinical genetic centers. The illegality of abortion, however, makes prenatal testing in the public sector a difficult task, while in the private sector quality control is an unheard concept and the patients frequently fall victims of the entrepreneurial and commercial goals of the providers. For the majority of the population, the impact of reproductive genetic testing is almost nil, simply because the services are not available. For the well-off who can pay for the services, there is a tendency for the abuse of reproductive genetic testing for spurious purposes, such as prenatal sex selection, or its commoditization and overuse without proper indications and quality control. In spite of the negative factors described, the experience in some third-world countries that have organized sound genetic programs along their prenatal care services suggests that the judicious use of reproductive genetic testing will be possible only when other pressing health and quality-of-life issues are properly addressed. Moreover, these technologies will probably be accepted as a way of preventing suffering and death from genetic conditions, as long as individual reproductive choices and human dignity are preserved.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1159\/000263888","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2009,11,27]],"date-time":"2009-11-27T20:36:55Z","timestamp":1259354215000},"page":"202-209","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Reproductive Genetic Testing from an International Perspective: Impact on Women in Underdeveloped Countries"],"prefix":"10.1159","author":[{"given":"Victor B.","family":"Penchaszadeh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"127","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2009,11,26]]},"container-title":["Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/karger.com\/article-pdf\/doi\/10.1159\/000263888","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,30]],"date-time":"2026-04-30T12:52:34Z","timestamp":1777553554000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/karger.com\/article\/doi\/10.1159\/000263888"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2009,11,26]]},"references-count":0,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1159\/000263888","archive":["Portico"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["1015-3837","1421-9964"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1015-3837","type":"print"},{"value":"1421-9964","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2009,11,26]]}}}