From the National Catholic Register:

Advocates and families of people with Down syndrome are raising concerns that new prenatal tests may result in more abortions if expectant parents are not also given accurate, up-to-date information about Down syndrome.

“The provocative question is, are parents truly making an informed decision when they decide whether to terminate the pregnancies?” said Dr. Brian Skotko, a physician at Children’s Hospital Boston and member of the National Down Syndrome Society board of directors.

A blood test under development by biotech companies could make it possible to get a definitive Down syndrome diagnosis early in the pregnancy.

… The test is being viewed as the “canary in the coal mine,” said David Tolleson, executive director of the Atlanta-based National Down Syndrome Congress. If parents have the option to terminate a pregnancy early based on a diagnosis of Down syndrome, could autism come next? And what about physical characteristics?

“I think, for ethicists, it’s really an area that’s of great concern looking forward,” he said. “Has our technology outpaced our morality?”

Related post here.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 at 9:42 am and is filed under abortion, autism, Down syndrome, 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.