Knowing the ins and outs of our children's genetic secrets before they are born could help reduce the likelihood of many diseases – but could it be misused?

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READING the whole genetic blueprint of a fetus long before birth could become a routine procedure thanks to a new blood test. As genetics increasingly informs prospective parents’ choices around conception, the test raises the prospect that it may soon become common to have an extensive understanding of a person’s genetic make-up before they are even born.

The new test can be carried out in the first trimester and gives an idea of a fetus’s genetic traits and future disease risks. The idea is to give people choice over whether to proceed with a …