NIPT and disability
Tom Shakespeare is a writer, public speaker, and professor of Disability Research at the Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia.
As a medical sociologist, he has researched and written about disability and genetics for many years.
He also brings the unique perspective of being a wheelchair user himself, as he was born with achondroplasia. He was a member of Arts Council England from 2003-2008.
Although the focus of his research is primarily the UK setting, he has also worked for the World Health Organisation (WHO) and helped to produce key reports such as the World Report on Disability (WHO 2011) and was responsible for the UN statement on forced, coerced and otherwise involuntary sterilization (WHO 2014).
In this wide-ranging interview, he discusses the tension between genetic screening and eugenics, and offers his own views of what the important things to bear in mind are.
For your discussion: What do you think about Professor Shakespeare’s view that NIPT is an improvement on the current antenatal screening?
Reach your personal and professional goals
Unlock access to hundreds of expert online courses and degrees from top universities and educators to gain accredited qualifications and professional CV-building certificates.
Join over 18 million learners to launch, switch or build upon your career, all at your own pace, across a wide range of topic areas.
