"...I believe a certain degree of scorn against those who 'feel a need to be tested' is entirely justified."
Feel the love. I certainly can, LOL. No wonder the pro-life perspective is seldom considered by couples who are actually experiencing this crisis in their lives, and who seek to clarify their circumstances through further testing.
"Since no medical intervention will 'cure' a child diagnosed with 'potential Downes [sic] Syndrome' in the womb,..."
Cure in the womb? No. Be prepared to make the best of it once the child is born, yes.
Knowledge, wisely used, is power for the good.
"The test itself poses a very high risk to any baby in the womb."
And you have little to fear from having any power associated with knowledge, LOL.
The evidence, from studies conducted in the 1970s, showed that the risk of miscarriage with amniocentesis was generally about 0.5%. That's one-half of one percent. The clinic at which we had the procedure done had a significantly lower rate of miscarriage. Well, we had it done in the mid-1990s, since that was when we were actually pregnant with our oldest, not in the 1970s. By that time, doctors were using newer techniques and technologies to minimize risk. As well, the doctors we went to were among the best in the country.
Even so, it seems unreasonable to call a 0.5% risk a "very high risk."
But more recent research indicates that with the incorporation of newer methods and technologies - such as the ones used by my wife's doctors = risk of miscarriage from amniocentesis has fallen to approximately 0.06%.
You assign very, very little value, it seems, to things that were important for my wife and myself - to know to be able to prepare, to learn, to prepare others, to seek out support.
Risk is inherent in life. We trade off risk of bad outcomes for other goods all the time. The risk in this case was very small and the goods that we gained, either way - whether our son had Down Syndrome or not - were, for us, very great.
sitetest
The amnio test is still conducted in the same manner.
A foreign object pierces the amnio sac (needle is inserted into the womb)and amniotic fluid is withdrawn, and tested.
Believe it or not sitetest, but the simple and inescapable fact is: piercing the protective amnio sac is very dangerous to a developing infant in utero.
I really don't care why you and your wife decided to choose to undergo a dangerous and totally unnecessary medical test.
Yes, it is my considered opinion that you are both idiots.
Aside from that, what I vehemently object to, is the normalization of this “test” to the point of making it routine, standard, and eventually required.
BTW, did your wife abort your baby after obtaining the test results?