The Genetic Health Act of 1999 allowed prenatal screening for deformities, hereditary diseases (such as thalassemia), and genetic diseases (such as Down's syndrome). It also gave parents the authority to choose to "prevent a human tragedy." Meanwhile, medical technological progress has allowed tiny babies of less than 1.5 kilograms to survive.
1999 年，優生保健法修訂後，畸形兒、遺傳疾病（如地中海型貧血）和基因突變疾病（如唐氏症），都可以透過產前篩檢、告知並由當事人自主抉擇的方式來避免「生命的悲劇」。