A report published last Monday shows that many people are unaware of medical advances that can treat or prevent inherited genetic diseases. Action Research, the medical charity that commissioned the Mori research, said that as a result, more than half of the surveyed group said they would avoid having children if there was a chance of passing on a genetic disorder. The report also showed that nearly a third of the 2000 adults interviewed would consider an abortion if prenatal tests showed the fetus to be affected by an inherited condition.

The pro-life lobby said the survey showed enormous prejudice, although the National Abortion Campaign stressed the individual's right to make such a decision.