Prenatal and childhood testing evoke mixed reactions. With abortion currently the sole recourse for positive findings from prenatal tests, such test utilization seems likely to depend both on parental views on abortion in general and on the seriousness of the disorder at issue. Family members’ lived experience with psychiatric disorder appears to make them more responsive to the possibility of abortion, whereas patients—perhaps for obvious reasons—are less likely to endorse this approach. A surprisingly large proportion of parents say that they would test their children predictively even in the absence of prophylactic interventions, perhaps indicating a need for intensive genetic education for this group. In contrast, psychiatrists are much more reticent about testing children, displaying a greater recognition that the information—for the foreseeable future—is likely to bring few rewards and considerable risks for the child.
