Hot Topic (9/26): Terminating pregnancies based on prenatal screening results
From a blog at WashingtonPost.com:
What would the world be like if there were no more people with Down syndrome?
That's the unsettling and provocative question posed by Brian Skotko in an article published online, ahead of the print edition, in the Archives of Disease in Childhood (one of the British Medical Journal publications). Skotko, a genetics fellow at Children's Hospital Boston whose work has been informed in part by his having a sibling with Down Syndrome (DS), notes that as prenatal screening tests for the condition have improved over the past 15 years, the number of babies born with DS has declined dramatically. As the study reports, "in the USA, there would have been a 34% increase in the number of babies born with DS between 1989 and 2005, in the absence of prenatal testing. Instead, there were 15% fewer babies born [with DS], representing a 49% decrease between the expected and observed rates."
That's more surprising when you consider that more women have waited until they're older to have babies, a situation that should theoretically lead to more babies with DS, as older mothers are more likely to have babies with the condition.
As still more sophisticated blood tests currently on the horizon will allow for noninvasive screening during the first trimester of pregnancy (as opposed to the current, invasive tests such as amniocentesis that are administered well after a woman's pregnancy has become physically obvious to others), Skotko notes that more and more women will likely opt to terminate pregnancies upon learning their babies will have DS. As it stands, he says, 92 percent of women who learn they are carrying babies with DS opt to abort. Still, more than 400,000 people in the U.S. have Down syndrome.
Skotko writes that many physicians and others in a position to counsel pregnant women are ill-equipped to discuss the implications of having a baby with Down syndrome and may, inadvertently or otherwise, steer women toward aborting such pregnancies.
Skotko's observations regarding Down syndrome have implications far beyond that isolated condition. He writes:
Where should our professional organisations draw the line? Should expectant parents be able to select out fetuses with an undesired sex? Should fetuses with genes that predispose them to adult breast cancer be prenatally identified? Should couples in the future be supported if they wish to terminate fetuses with genes correlated with sexual preferences? The age is swiftly coming where not all possible technologic advances may bring welcomed change.
And, he continues,
Parents who have children with Down syndrome have already found much richness in life with an extra chromosome. Now is the time for the rest of us to discuss the ethics of our genetic futures.
* * *
Should expectant parents be able to "select out" fetuses with an undesired sex?
What about a fetus identified with genetic predispositions for certain diseases? How about hair color or eye color?
Where would you draw the line?
How do you feel about selective reduction in cases of multiple fetuses?
Should expectant parents be able to "select out" fetuses with an undesired sex? HELL NO!!!! besides its the guys sperm that determines the childs sex
What about a fetus identified with genetic predispositions for certain diseases? NO, because some of the tests can give a FALSE negitave or FASLE postive.
How about hair color or eye color? Hell No you get what runs in the family.
Where would you draw the line? Draw the line at what?? NOT ALL TESTS ARE 100% CORRECT
How do you feel about selective reduction in cases of multiple fetuses? I dont approve of it, I would personaly never do it, but there are some cases where it may be "offered" does not mean it HAS to be done.
Should expectant parents be able to "select out" fetuses with an undesired sex?
I think it would be more effective to attempt to influence gender selection prior to fertilization through... timing of intercourse, sperm separation, etc. I might try to influence gender selection, but I would never terminate because the baby was the"wrong" gender.
What about a fetus identified with genetic predispositions for certain diseases? How about hair color or eye color?
I could somewhat understand terminating when the child is diagnosed with a terminal disease, but I could not do this. Tests can be wrong, and I could not live with the "what ifs" of terminating in such a situation. I definitely would not terminate for a DS or other disability. Had my first son lived, he likely would have been disabled, and I would have sold my soul to have the chance to raise him. Hair or eye color? That's insane. If someone wants some sort of "designer baby", they should probably get a show dog instead.
Where would you draw the line?
I personally could only terminate when my life is in serious immediate jeopardy and the child has nearly no chance at survival.
How do you feel about selective reduction in cases of multiple fetuses?
I would probably never do IVF anyway, but if I did I would not allow any more embryos to be implanted than I could handle carrying to term.
Should expectant parents be able to "select out" fetuses with an undesired sex? Um no, that is just stupid. What is this China?
What about a fetus identified with genetic predispositions for certain diseases? How about hair color or eye color? Testing is never 100% and give me a break about hair and eye color... you want a cabbage patch doll go to toysrus.
Where would you draw the line? Mothers should only have to make a choice about this issue if their health is in immediate danger. Thats it.
How do you feel about selective reduction in cases of multiple fetuses? If we are talking IVF well the lady shouldn t have put more then three or four in her uterus to begin with.
This is allowable, because abortion is allowable. Who gets to determine that YOU WILL have a handicapped child whether you like it or not? You know if they made this illegal, there would be alot more kids in state care/foster homes/orphanages. Will you adopt? Usually the ones speaking so loudly about "don't abort" are the ones that are also NOT adopting the unwanted. And then there is the whole health care issue.....who pays/supports if they make you keep it?
Quoting EireLass:
This is allowable, because abortion is allowable. Who gets to determine that YOU WILL have a handicapped child whether you like it or not? You know if they made this illegal, there would be alot more kids in state care/foster homes/orphanages. Will you adopt? Usually the ones speaking so loudly about "don't abort" are the ones that are also NOT adopting the unwanted. And then there is the whole health care issue.....who pays/supports if they make you keep it?
I know my DS tested positive for a soft marker for Downs and I did not realize the amount of health problems that could come with a Downs child. The doctor went over all his organs after a level two ultrasound saying what is often found in a Downs child and how DS was ok. You could easily end up with 50+ surgeries in the first couple years of life.
Should expectant parents be able to "select out" fetuses with an undesired sex? No way! imagine if everyone wanted boys only or the other way around only wanting girls eventually it would be the down fall of mankind
What about a fetus identified with genetic predispositions for certain diseases? in my opinion no because in my opinion theres a reason these children are here My daughter was born with treacher collins syndrome had I known that while I was pregnant I would not have aborted her I love her so much and she is a blessing in our lives.
How about hair color or eye color? can you imagine how much the abortion rate would go up if this were allowed? you should love your child no matter how they look.
Where would you draw the line? for me personally I wouldnt get an abortion for any reason I have discussed it with my husband and even if I were to be raped we would keep the child because it is still apart of me.
I wouldn't change the abortion laws that exist to make them more restrictive. I don't think one can compare a pregnancy with downs syndrome fetus and a pregnancy with brown hair fetus. Not everyone can handle having a child with downs. Not everyone can afford a child with downs. Not everyone can mentally handle having a child with downs.I think it's goofy to put them on the same level. While everyone might not agree on abortion, everyone can agree that having a child with Downs changes every thing and has difficulties and costs that are different than having a normally developed child.
Should expectant parents be able to "select out" fetuses with an undesired sex? Absolutely not..
What about a fetus identified with genetic predispositions for certain diseases? Testing is never 100%, usually its worst case scenario.. also I feel that if you feel you are not strong enough to love and care for a child with these issues, then your not strong enough to be a parent.
How about hair color or eye color? um no..
Where would you draw the line? My line is firmly drawn at not terminating under any circumstances
How do you feel about selective reduction in cases of multiple fetuses? If you feel you cannot care for multiples, then there is always adoption, especially with newborns, they are high on the list .
I had amnio with my last child, because I was 38. Personally, I would have only considered terminating if there were devestating birth defects; I would not consider Down's Syndrome to be one of those. One of the reasons I had the screening was so if there were a problem, I would be prepared for it by the time the baby was born. I would rather know in advance than be surprised when she was born. Luckily, I had a perfectly healthy child.
I'm uncomfortable with terminating based on sex, and certainly on things like eye color or hair color - that's nuts. Disease - again - depends on what the disease is and how it would affect the life of the child.
I would only terminate if it were a pregnancy through rape or if there was concrete evidence that there was a birth defect or a terminal illness.
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on Sep. 26, 2009 at 2:30 AM