Thursday, January 08, 2009

The high cost of utopia

For every three “imperfect” children (in our stunted minds, not God’s) we may be losing two “perfect” children.
    “Two healthy babies are miscarried for every three Down's Syndrome babies that are detected and prevented from being born, research has suggested.

    The losses are down to the invasive methods used to test for the condition, which affects approximately one in every 1,000 babies conceived, the researchers claim. They also cast doubt on the advice and risk assessment given to the 6,000 women each year who are offered screening and subsequent testing to assess the health of their unborn baby.

    If an expectant mother is deemed to be at risk of carrying a Down's baby following a blood test, she will then go on to undergo an amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling (CVS) test, which involves inserting a fine needle through the abdomen to either withdraw amniotic fluid or take a tissue sample.

    The NHS cites a miscarriage rate of between one and two per cent following the tests, but the researchers, from the charity Down's Syndrome Education International, point out that only the number of Down's babies terminated, miscarried or born are recorded, not the number of healthy babies lost.”
What’s really ugly about this report is that the writers and researchers believe killing the unborn non-Down’s child is a tragedy--the other not so much. From Catholic Physician’s blog citing the Telegraph .

3 comments:

Jenna said...

When I was pregnant with my youngest, I had the blood test done - but I told them it didn't really matter what the results said because I wasn't going to have amnio and risk a miscarriage.

Anonymous said...

What is far uglier is your lack of sympathy for high-risk children. Who would care for them? Who would pay for their high cost medical bills and psychiatrist visits throughout their entire lives? Most people cannot afford nor do they have the physical capacity to care for a high-risk child into adulthood and beyond; and neither does the government or non-profit agencies. THousands of mentally ill and mentally retarded people are sent to jail or are thrown in mental hospitals until they die because there is no where for them to go. What do you propose we do about the people in need who are already here?

Norma said...

And you, anon 1:03 a.m., are the paragon of virtue and the sympathetic heart because you'd have them sucked out and thrown in the garbage. When you are brain injured in an auto accident, or have a stroke and can't do your usual activities, have you left instructions to be destroyed since there will be absolutely no one with compassion or the will to look after you?