According to a recent study published in Genetics in Medicine, there's a new test available that can determine whether or not a woman is carrying a baby with Down syndrome by analyzing her blood sample. This test is of great interest to doctors, because previous testing methods like amniocentesis could sometimes cause miscarriages to occur. Now, according to an article in The New York Times, a San Francisco-based biotechnology company, Sequenom, is offering the test in 20 major cities.
Is The Test Ethical?
Many people are concerned about the ethics of conducting prenatal tests to determine if a fetus has Down syndrome. The study authors also report that false positives can happen. An article in The Atlantic Wire entitled "How Much Eugenics Are We Willing to Tolerate?" expresses concerns about the new testing method leading to more abortions. With previous testing methods, 92% of women who learned that they were carrying a child with Down syndrome chose to abort.
Down Syndrome Can Be Treated
Would these mothers still choose an abortion if they knew that Down syndrome can often be treated? People at The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential (IAHP.org) in Philadelphia have done just that for many years. While people at the Institutes don't treat genetic problems, they do conduct neurological evaluations to determine whether children, as a result of their genetic problems, are brain-injured. Once it is determined where the brain injuries exist, a treatment program of neurological organization is used.
Proper nutrition is also vital. Physicist Linus Pauling stated at a 1978 conference, "I admire the work that has been done in these Institutes very much. I know that considerable emphasis is placed on good nutrition for the people who come to the Institutes and that large doses of vitamin C are given to them."
According to an article called Veras Kids by Janet Doman, the Director of IAHP, Down syndrome children used to be referred to as "Mongoloid idiots," which "tells us a great deal more about the intelligence of the label-makers than the intelligence of the innocent children they were labeling." Janet also reports that many Down syndrome children used to be left to starve to death in hospital nurseries, and it still happens. About amniocentesis Janet writes, "How do we explain that we now have a test whose primary purpose is to spot a little hurt baby and get rid of him at the earliest possible moment?"
There Is Hope
For those who think there is no hope for Down syndrome babies, there are stories of many kids whose parents decided they would fight for their children. Here are some clips that show babies and tiny tots with Down syndrome who can play the violin, read, write, do math and more:
Down Syndrome Tot Plays Violin
Down Syndrome Baby Reads
Down Syndrome Child (age 6) Learning
Some of the kids are reading better than "well" children their own ages. Read about success stories at IAHP here.
In Veras Kids, Janet writes about children with Down syndrome: "These children are much more capable and productive than their parents are led to believe is possible. Many of them that carry out The Institutes program with diligence become completely well."
What Researchers Should Be Asking
Clearly, many Down syndrome children are doing some amazing things, often better than their "normal" peers. If brain-injured children can do such remarkable things, the question researchers should be asking is: "Why are so many 'normal' children doing so poorly?" In Veras Kids, Janet shares her dream: "Imagine a world with no more brain-injured children, not because we eliminated them but because we fixed them."
