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To: Secret Agent Man

The false positives are from preliminary tests — maternal blood tests and ultrasound — and at least in this country no doctor is going to suggest proceeding with an abortion on the basis of those alone. They can only indicate the probability of Downs, not confirm Downs. If a woman gets a high probability of Downs from the the preliminary tests, she would be advised that amniocentesis is needed to confirm if the fetus actually has Downs. If she declines the amniocentesis, on the grounds that she would try to carry the baby to term regardless of the amniocentesis results, then she has not been told that she is carrying a Downs fetus and should consider abortion.

Virtually all these claims that “my doctor said I should consider aborting because the baby had Downs, but I didn’t, and the baby turned out to be perfectly normal” are false, because they skip over the huge detail that no doctor ever actually suggested proceeding with an abortion, but rather suggested amniocentesis and noted that IF amniocentesis confirmed Downs, THEN the woman might want to consider an abortion. Of course, some of the claims date back a few decades, to when there was no way of definitively confirming Downs, and even gauging probability was much less accurate. No doubt there were cases back then where a doctor suspected Downs and recommended abortion (perhaps after consideration of some other factors as well), and the baby turned out not to have Downs at all.


53 posted on 10/17/2008 11:25:39 AM PDT by GovernmentShrinker
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To: GovernmentShrinker
Virtually all these claims that “my doctor said I should consider aborting because the baby had Downs, but I didn’t, and the baby turned out to be perfectly normal” are false, because they skip over the huge detail that no doctor ever actually suggested proceeding with an abortion, but rather suggested amniocentesis and noted that IF amniocentesis confirmed Downs, THEN the woman might want to consider an abortion. Of course, some of the claims date back a few decades, to when there was no way of definitively confirming Downs, and even gauging probability was much less accurate. No doubt there were cases back then where a doctor suspected Downs and recommended abortion (perhaps after consideration of some other factors as well), and the baby turned out not to have Downs at all.

How in any possible way, shape or form can you possible claim to know for a fact these claims are false? Have you personally interviewed and researched each and every one of these claims? Do you honestly believe there aren't jerk OB/GYNS who would rather take the expedient way out than deal with a potential lawsuit after the birth of a Down Syndrome child? Not to mention the potential lawsuit associated with the risk of CVS? You do know there are risks to the unborn with amnio, don't you?

54 posted on 10/17/2008 11:34:25 AM PDT by Shethink13
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