Directive or non-directive genetic counselling – Cutting through the surface

A case is first presented in which a woman carries a foetus with Turner syndrome. Thereafter, the development of non-directiveness to a standard in genetic counselling is described, and the concepts of directive and non-directive counselling are analysed critically. Next, the treatment of Turner syndrome in medical texts and websites is examined in detail. Finally, it is argued that the concepts of directive and non-directive counselling are anything but clear and, in particular, not helpful in answering the question concerning decision making in the case described and in other relevantly similar cases.