Posted on 01/02/2007 3:54:30 PM PST by wagglebee
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A leading national doctors' group is suggesting that every pregnant woman, regardless of age, be offered the chance to have prenatal testing for the birth defect known as Down syndrome. However, tests showing disabilities in unborn children may prompt more abortions.
This week, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is recommending more testing saying that less invasive tests than the standard amniocentesis are now available.
Some tests can determine as early as the first trimester of pregnancy whether a baby has Down syndrome.
The group published a new set of guidelines in the January edition of the medical journal Obstetrics & Gynecology and says that more frequent testing would give some mothers and parents peace of mind while allowing others to get earlier medical help for their unborn child.
Down syndrome is a lifelong condition in which a person is born with distinct physical features, such as a flat face and short neck, and some degree of cognitive disability. It affects one in 800 babies and parents who determine their unborn child has Down syndrome frequently have abortions.
That concerns the President's Council on Bioethics, which called the information gleaned from such prenatal tests "toxic knowledge" because such a high percentage of pregnancies involving disabled babies end in abortion.
Dr. William Hurlbut, a biology professor at Stanford University, called such information "learning more than you want to or more than you can handle."
Hurlbut added that parents who find out their unborn children have a physical or mental disability can develop depression and psychiatric disorders. Some parents even consider suicide, he told the Catholic News Service at the time.
He also said that prenatal testing paves the way for genetic thinking where people began trying to eliminate less than desirable traits in their family.
"It's the flavor-of-the-month preference for what people can look like," he said.
Down syndrome is caused by abnormal cell division very early in fetal development. This abnormal division produces an extra or irregular chromosome in some or all of the body's cells.
Mothers who get pregnant at an older age have a higher percentage chance of having a baby with Down syndrome.
ACOG is recommending that all pregnant women have a "nuchal translucency test" which combines blood tests showing risk factors with an ultrasound examination. The test can be done from weeks 11 to 13 of a pregnancy and can give a numeric chance of having a baby with the condition.
Abortions on babies with Down syndrome have been an issue in England as well.
Most British doctors who are treating pregnant women with unborn children diagnosed with Down syndrome are telling their patients to have abortions. Official figures show as many as 94 percent of women with babies with Down syndrome are having abortions. The statistics show the number of abortions is also on the rise as more than 900 babies were aborted in 2004 while just 293 were killed before birth in 1989.
Women are also being told more frequently to have late-term abortions after the 24 week legal limit for most other abortions in Britain and 11 women had late-term abortions of Down syndrome babies last year alone.
But not Lisa Green.
Green's obstetrician informed her that her child would grow up to be "mentally retarded," she told the London Daily Mail newspaper. But the 35 year-old rejected her doctor's advice to have an abortion at 35 weeks into the pregnancy.
Two weeks after the suggestion she have an abortion, she gave birth to a baby boy she named Harrison. He is now a much-loved son and the Daily Mail reports the two year-old just started nursery school.
Green described to the London newspaper what happened when she and her 33 year-old fireman husband Tim were given the news.
"The doctor said, "I have some bad news -- your baby has Down syndrome,'" she said. "We were both in total shock but this was considerably worsened when he said, "You can have a termination.'"
"My baby was fully-formed and his name was decided. I was appalled," she told the Daily Mail.
Green accused the doctor of pressuring her to have an abortion by telling her only negative things about having a mentally handicapped baby.
"The doctor urged us to think about the termination and how having a baby with "mental retardation" would affect our lives," she said. "He listed only the potential negatives about Down syndrome, without giving us any information to read for a more balanced view."
"The midwife tried to interject and offer us some leaflets but he talked her down. The frightening thing is, had we been told by the same doctor about Down syndrome earlier in the pregnancy, there is a chance we might have decided to abort," she said.
Still, Green has no regrets about her decision to keep Harrison.
"We don't know what we'd do without Harrison - he's so adored," she said.
The culture of death wants to kill anyone who doesn't fit their elitist mold.
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I think it is more about selling more expensive tests than anything.
This test has false positives all day long, so they sell you ultra-sounds and aminos.
But as Mrs. MWT wisely concluded after a big time serious scare --- while being hard-core pressed for more tests, which we ultimately resisted --- "And what would we do with that information?!"
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My stomach is turning. For all intents and purposes, in this day and age, this a FULL TERM child. That an M.D. was recommending abortion at this late date.... imagine your pediatrician recommending you put a knife into the heart of your 2 month old infant. No discernible difference.
Lord, please change the hearts of those who worship moloch.
Amen.
Exactly. If amnio has a 1% chance of killing your unborn baby, and if you aren't planning to terminate the pregnancy under any circumstances, there is no rational argument for having the procedure done.
As a physician I will admit this is a tough one. During an intership in Boston I remember an jewish couple who had a positive Tasachs test. A certain death sentence for the child. I wouldnt recommend an Abortion though. I know more than one couple who were told the baby was going to be DOA on arrival and they kept it full term. Both were being born without a skull. It was heartbreaking but I remember how amazingly in awe I was of the couple to go through such an ordeal. That said one must remember. Professors in your leading medical schools tend to be on the flaming liberal side. So many young student are indoctrinated from the get go and I could see many pushing for a termination.
Remember that this test doesn't directly test for chromosomal problems — it just gives you a better idea of your baby's statistical likelihood of having a problem. A normal result (sometimes called "screen negative") isn't a guarantee that your baby is normal, but it suggests that a chromosomal problem is unlikely. And an abnormal result (sometimes called "screen positive") doesn't mean that your baby has a chromosomal problem — just that he's more likely to have one. In fact, most "screen positive" babies turn out to be normal.
I tested positive for one of these screens (not sure if it was this exact test or not) with my second child; was told I should have an amnio to definitively determine whether there was a problem. I said no because it wouldn't change whether we'd have the baby or not. My son was perfect.
Our family doctor ,who happens to be one of our best friends ,is not an advocate of Down's Syndrome testing. If you want the test and know what you would do if it's positive...fine. He feels that very often women test positive when the opposite is true. Unless you would definitely abort a Down's baby he says go with your instincs.
Could lead to increased abortions? It absolutely WILL lead to higher murders of children- The ONLY saving grace is that these children will immediately be in heaven where these pukes who murder them can't hurt them anymore!!! http://sacredscoop.com
my only concern is that further down the road,in the not-so-distant future---will they refuse to give prenantal care to those that refuse these tests/refuse to give care to "handicapped"infants ,that by their guidelines shouldda been aborted,etc. etc.
She said that a medical culture which pushes hostile surveillance of babies in the womb, also encourages mothers not to bond with their little ones. Mothers are encouraged to hedge their commitment to their own children, pending the final vetting of the reproductive product.
Rothman was in a strange position, because as a good feminist she felt she had to be in favor of abortions for any and every reason; but underneath, she was a decent person who was repulsed by the cold-heartedness of evaluating our children this way, making all acceptance of the child partial, conditional, delayed,calculating, and cold.
And then what happens if the baby passes all the tests and gets born, and then manifests some difficulty or disability in the days, weeks, or months after birth? What do you do? Ring quality control? Schedule a cubside solid-waste pick-up?
The book was written 20 years ago. I wonder what Rothman thinks now?
"my only concern is that further down the road,in the not-so-distant future---will they refuse to give prenantal care to those that refuse these tests/refuse to give care to "handicapped"infants ,that by their guidelines shouldda been aborted,etc. etc."
That was my thought as well. I can see all insurance and prenatal care on the mom and baby halted once mom says no to any tests. This whole thing just makes me sick.
She did have a Down Syndrome son, he's 4 now and he's wonderful. We figure that that extra chromosome contains the happy gene.
Since when is abortion considered medical help?
Abortion, euthanasia, forced starvation and dehydration -- the culture of death feels they have the right to decide that anyone should be put to death any time they so decree.
How does someone "grow up" to be mentally retarded? Were they born mentally retarded, or just became that way while going through puberty? What a dumb and deadly diagnosis of a patient that has not even been exhaustively evaluated.
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