Early in Their Marriage, in Their Mid-20s, Charles and Leona

question 68

Essay

Early in their marriage, in their mid-20s, Charles and Leona had two normal children, a boy and girl.Later, when Charles and Leona were both 42 years old, Leona unexpectedly became pregnant again in spite of the birth control methods the couple had practised for many years.Both parents were in good physical health and there was no history of genetic disorders in either of their families.Still, they wondered about the risks of a genetic or chromosomal disorder in their child-to-be.(a) What might a genetic counsellor tell the parents about their chances of having a Down syndrome child? (b) What methods might be employed to determine if the fetus is normal prior to birth? (c) What other kinds of defects might these methods detect?

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Definitions:

Consent

The voluntary agreement to or approval of what is done or proposed by another; especially important in legal and medical contexts.

Generally Enforceable

Describes a legal agreement or contract that is valid and capable of being executed or acted upon under the law.

Subletting

The act of renting out a leased property by the original tenant to a third party for a subset of the lease period.

Assign the Lease

The process of transferring all or part of the rights and obligations of an existing lease from the original tenant to another party.