Soapbox Alert!

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has recommended that every pregnant woman have their baby fetal product tested for Down's Syndrome.

They cite the advent of more accurate, less invasive testing measures. Previously, the alpha-feto protein test was used (requires a blood draw); if the markers indicated, a more invasive, possibly miscarriage inducing amniocentesis was ordered to actually confirm results.

I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing; as the article points out, many Down's babies need special care, and this can prepare the family and doctors. What I object to is the assumption that mothers with a Down's Syndrome baby would automatically consider abortion - read the editorial slant in the ninth paragraph:

It's not just a question of whether to continue the pregnancy. Prenatal diagnosis also is important for those who wouldn't consider abortion, because babies with Down syndrome can need specialized care at delivery that affects hospital selection, he added.

The reason, everybody knows, to have the test to begin with is for pregnancy termination. It is not stated in the article; it is already a foregone conclusion that the journalist assumes women would have the test done, now in the first trimester, in order to have a more convenient, less invasive first term abortion if "needed". The fact that it could help babies who are actually allowed to live is just an extra bonus.

We certainly do live in a culture of death, when the murder of children is assumed and the benefits of testing for those babies still welcomed by the fringe for whom abortion is never an option is an afterthought.

How sad that Americans are so quick to kill happy, obedient, joyful and quite possibly the most law abiding future citizens, because their minds work differently and they might need extra care?

Tags: Prolife, Mama Says, Special Needs