Cultural variation in values attached to informed choice in the context of prenatal diagnosis.

King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Psychology at Guy's, Health Psychology Section, 5th Floor, Thomas Guy House, London SE1 9RT, UK.

One of the ethical implications of the widespread introduction of non-invasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) is that it might undermine the making of informed choices. There is an almost universal agreement among health professionals and policy makers that prenatal testing decisions should reflect informed choices. It is, however, unclear the extent to which this is a universally held value. We present evidence to suggest that although informed choice is highly valued in Western, individualistically orientated countries, it is less highly valued in non-Western, more collectivist countries. This raises questions as to whether it is beneficial - and indeed appropriate - to recommend facilitating informed choices in countries where this is not a dominant value.

PMID: 18255366 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]