‘We often talk about embracing diversity in Canada, but … true diversity, in the broadest sense, that’s missing’

From the Ottawa Citizen, a story examining the implications of Canadaian obstetrical guidelines recommending that every pregnant woman be offered prenatal screening for Down syndrome.

Advocates say they are troubled by the fact that the guidelines were put in place without public discourse on the ethics of selective termination. They say pregnant women in Canada need to receive accurate and up-to-date information about the lives of people with Down syndrome in a way that does not reflect long-standing social biases.

Canadian women who receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome are aborting their pregnancies at a rate of 80 to 90 percent.

The Canadian Down Syndrome Society says some doctors stress only the grim statistics and daunting challenges of raising a Down syndrome child in their discussions with couples facing a Down syndrome diagnosis.

“We would like to see information given to women in a fair and balanced and value-neutral way,” said Krista Flint, the group’s executive director. “… Families involved with (the society) tell us regularly that that hasn’t been their experience. The central message they receive is ‘Don’t have this baby, it could ruin your life.’”

Dr. Phil Wyatt, a member of the committee that drafted the guidelines for obstetricians and gynecologists, said the goal was to provide unbiased information, but added that what women are actually being told by their doctors is open to debate.

“I don’t think any of us would disagree that there can be a wide variation in what various individual physicians say to various patients,” said Dr. Wyatt.

Michael Shaw, a board member of the CDSS, says people with Down syndrome are not that different than their peers, and can lead richly rewarding lives.

“We often talk about embracing diversity in Canada, but we mean cultural diversity. People of different abilities should be part of the Canadian fabric. True diversity in the broadest sense, that’s missing.”

This entry was posted on Monday, March 3rd, 2008 at 10:33 am and is filed under abortion, Down syndrome, medicine, News_2_Use, NOT2BEMISSED, prenatal diagnosis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.