Most intending parents hope that the foetus they will bring to term will be born healthy. There is nothing in this aspiration to cause concern. We simply want our children to have the best start in life, in the same way as we will try to maximise their opportunities throughout their lives. In the not too distant past, the capacity to influence the health of a future child was very much at the mercy of fate. Modern medicine, however, has been able to make a real contribution to the potential health of embryos and foetuses by warning women about risks during their pregnancy, encouraging healthy behaviour and discouraging dangerous practices.

Rapid advances have also been made in medicine's prenatal diagnostic skills. Testing the cells of the foetus is now a routine procedure in many pregnancies, and this allows prospective parents access to information as to whether or not their child suffers from a range of genetic and chromosomal disorders. Although treatment is seldom available following genetic diagnosis, the fact that a genetic problem has been established offers a woman the choice as to whether or not to continue with the pregnancy. Foetal monitoring can detect distress and mandate a change in the management of birth, and treatment within the womb – or even in vitro – designed to correct medical or surgical problems before the birth of the child may soon become commonplace.