Prenatal testing, whereby tests are performed in utero to verify the health of the child, is now considered standard prenatal care. Unborn children have been screened in the womb for Down Syndrome in women over 35 for many years. However, just this year, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has started to recommend that doctors perform a new screening procedure on all pregnant women, regardless of age. These tests raise the question of what would happen if a family finds that their child does have Down Syndrome or other disabilities. Is this information sought in order to better prepare parents or to abort less-than-perfect children before they are born?
Testing Procedures
Until just recently, the Down Syndrome test was performed in the second trimester by amniocentesis. Suggested between 15 and 20 weeks of gestation, this procedure uses a needle to penetrate the amniotic sac, drawing amniotic fluid for testing. One of every 200-400 procedures results in a miscarriage. The baby is also at risk for being pricked by the needle as it enters the amniotic sac.
A study conducted a couple years ago on 38,000 American women revealed that Down Syndrome can be detected at just 11 weeks after conception. The test consists of a first-trimester sonogram and two blood tests. This test is slightly more accurate than the current quadruple test offered at 16 weeks gestation, but a 5% false positive rate remains inherent in the test results.
Once the test determines that a woman is carrying a child with Down Syndrome, doctors often do not know how to relay that information. Women report a high level of dissatisfaction. Many parents of children with Down Syndrome share stories of doctors starting with "I'm sorry" or "I have bad news." One woman who decided she would continue her pregnancy spoke of her doctor reminding her that she could still undergo a late term abortion if the ultrasound indicated that the baby would need heart surgery (as many infants with Down Syndrome do within the first year of birth).
Effects on Down Syndrome Babies
Unfortunately, many families who find that they have a child who is "imperfect" choose to end that baby's life through abortion. About 90% of parents who find that their child has Down Syndrome choose to abort that child. A parent's subjective view of the child's quality of life, often coupled with pressure from the medical community, becomes the determining factor for whether that child is allowed to live. Prenatal diagnosis is not a perfect science, and many times, unborn children thought to be disabled are born without medical complications or disabilities.
This new test for Down Syndrome, coupled with the extremely high rate of abortion for babies with Down Syndrome, means that these children will likely grow up in a world with few people who are like them. There are currently about 350,000 people with Down syndrome. With a diminishing population, many parents are concerned that there will be less institutional support and reduced funds for medical research.
The New York Times also described a general unease about "drawing the line between preventing disability and accepting human diversity." They reported about one mom's concerns, "If all these people terminate babies with Down Syndrome, there won't be programs, there won't be acceptance or tolerance."
Support and Information
Many parents of children with Down Syndrome are convinced that more women would choose to carry their children to birth if they actually knew what parenting a child with Down Syndrome was like. These parents are now taking a role in helping to offer a positive perspective in the face of daunting statistics and doctors who share only the difficult aspects of raising a child with Down Syndrome. Volunteers are asking obstetricians to send parents to talk to these experts on Down Syndrome when an unborn baby is diagnosed with Down Syndrome. They are also building networks so that new parents can meet with veteran parents of children with Down Syndrome for support.
Source and more information: Texas Right to Life
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