Using Down’s Syndrome test in all pregnancies wins Health Min. support

Health Minister Edith Schippers is "positive" about making the NIPT-test available to everyone, but she will not make a decision on whether or not to do so until after she received advice from the Health council, she said in a parliamentary debate on the test that can diagnose Down's syndrome in unborn children on Tuesday, ANP reports. Parliamentarians will therefore have to be patient for a while still. A number of parties want the NIPT test to be added to the basic health insurance package. Schippers expects the advice from the Health Council before the summer. "If the Health Council is on time, we can talk about what it means for the basic package in 2017", she said. The advantage of the Non-Invasive Prenatal Test is that it is less risky than the current combination test, which consists of a blood test and a nuchal translucency scan. Opponents of this test, which includes the ChristenUnie, fear that making this test available to everyone will put more pressure on women to terminate their pregnancy if the baby has Down's Syndrome. Schippers disagrees. "The test is there. It is the decision of a woman whether or not she wants to take the test. We already had a combination test and amniocentesis, but the risks involved are greater."