Posted on 05/08/2007 10:53:50 PM PDT by neverdem
DETROIT — Sarah Itoh, a self-described “almost-eleven-and-a-half,” betrayed no trace of nervousness as she told a roomful of genetic counselors and obstetricians about herself one recent afternoon.
She likes to read, she said. Math used to be hard, but it is getting easier. She plays clarinet in her school band. She is a junior girl scout and an aunt, and she likes to organize, so her room is very clean. Last year, she won three medals in the Special Olympics.
“I am so lucky I get to do so many things,” she concluded. “I just want you to know, even though I have Down syndrome, it is O.K.”
Sarah’s appearance at Henry Ford Hospital here is part of an unusual campaign being undertaken by parents of children with Down syndrome who worry about their future in the face of broader prenatal testing that could sharply reduce the number of those born with the genetic condition.
Until this year, only pregnant women 35 and older were routinely tested to see if their fetuses had the extra chromosome that causes Down syndrome. As a result many couples were given the diagnosis only at birth. But under a new recommendation from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, doctors have begun to offer a new, safer screening procedure to all pregnant women, regardless of age.
About 90 percent of pregnant women who are given a Down syndrome diagnosis have chosen to have an abortion.
Convinced that more couples would choose to continue their pregnancies if they better appreciated what it meant to raise a child with Down syndrome, a growing group of parents are seeking to insert their own positive perspectives into a decision often dominated by daunting medical statistics and doctors who feel obligated to describe the difficulties of life with a...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
http://video.on.nytimes.com/index.jsp?fr_story=75b21d45037ddde30bf24171111b1ab53bebc333
Those URLs are for two short videos that came with the story.
prenatal testing ping
That is a very sad statistic. Hopefully, most of the women who respect life didn't have the test done.
It is very sad. Everyone is here for a reason. It is not for us to understand that reason. G-d bless this girl but she probably won’t help change the mindset these doctors learned in med school. A great book on this subject is “Expecting Adam.”
10% that tested positive obviously respect life. They just wanted to know and be prepared.
My second ended successfully with a son.
My third ended with an emergency c-section, a 30% abruption, in my daughter's 32nd week; thank God, she lived.
My fourth ended in a miscarriage.
During my fifth and final pregnancy, my OB sent me for an extensive sono series. The doctors discovered my son had a 2-vessel umbillical cord; a typical indicator of severe genetic abnormalities. They wanted to do an amniocentisis to determine what was wrong with him. I was already long past prime child bearing age; well into the danger zone, ripe for defects of all kinds.
We refused.
God gave us our son; God gave him life. We already loved him, and would care for him, no matter what his issues were. The answer, for us, was simple.
Despite dire predictions, he arrived in perfect condition; handsome, loving, and smart to boot!
Congratulations! Thanks for sharing your story.
God Bless you, although I’m sure you understand better than anyone that He already has.
My grand nephew has Down’s. My niece had the test, knew in advance what she was facing, and decided to have the baby. He’s simply wonderful, a real treasure to us all. The problems are manageable.
Nothing justifies intentionally killing the innocent!
Clean Power That Reaps a Whirlwind
Maybe the NY Times has a subliminal fear of the Grim Reaper? FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.
On Tuesday night, our band had their spring concert. Awards were given to the most improved, the best student. One of the students received the percussion award - Dan. He has Down's. His mother had to fight tooth and nail to keep him in the regular school instead of the dreadful Special Ed school in this rural area. All the kids love him and are proud to be in class with his. I can't imagine those that would wish he had been "terminated" would understand the friendships he has.
The 90% statistic is shocking, almost equivalent to an attitude of genocide for those judged “unworthies”.
A diagnosis of Down’s syndrome seems like a death sentence in this context. And what if the diagnosis is wrong?
This is an outrage. I also have an "autistic" grandson. Some would have him aborted. Well, this "undesirable" throwaway is being courted by all the top colleges and universities in the country. He happens to have a genius-level IQ. The world needs more like him--not less.
I'm also active in a Lutherans for Life chapter and we discuss this very issue.
I'd rather live with an Elaine or Adam than a liberal.
There is nothing to fear because the evidence is thrown away.
I recall once when my daughter was pregnant with her second daughter, she called sobbing crying saying that a test the doctor had done showed something wrong with the baby.
As it turned out, there was nothing wrong with the baby.
I suppose doctors are between a rock and a hard spot. If they don't do the tests, they're open to "wrongful birth" lawsuits if a defective baby is born and if they do the test which shows a defect that turns out to be false, they're criticized for that, too.
How true!
I guess I don't understand parents who fail to view their children as gifts from God - even if they aren't perfect. There is no guarantee that a perfectly healthy child at birth won't experience an unfortunate accident and suddenly undergo serious health complications or a long-term impairment. Do these folks toss them away, too?
That's what I can't wrap my mind around. Guess I'm just not built that way.
A little over a year and half ago, we were told we might have a DS baby on the way thanks to these test. Today we have a completely heathly and vibrant little one year old girl.
Thanks to God Almighty.
AFAIK, there is no way to tell, with current testing, how severe the Downs will be. Some folks with Downs live a pretty normal life. The testing, even if just to help the parents prepare, isn’t necessarily a good thing.
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