Wednesday, 29 December 2010
-
Terminating for Down Syndrome?
Let me start by saying that I have never had a nuchal translucency test, and I doubt I ever will. With my first pregnancy, I turned down CVS testing, amniocentesis, the NT scan, and quad screening – and I will do the same with this one.
For legal reasons, I had to sign an acknowledgment that my doctor informed me that by waiting until my 20-week ultrasound to do any sort of testing for Down Syndrome or other chromosomal disorders, it might be too late under state law to terminate my pregnancy.
As I scrawled my name across the bottom of the page, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Who terminates a pregnancy for Downs these days?”
The answer? Everyone. Except Sarah Palin, and she's an idiot.
At least that’s what my old friend Google wants me to believe. Depending on where you get your statistics, up to 90% of mothers terminate their pregnancy following a positive screening for Down Syndrome. Ninety percent.
Now, I realize that it’s mostly Christian websites advertising these statistics. And yes, I was raised Catholic. But that has absolutely nothing to do with my decision to decline testing.
I’m not here to ignite a pro-life vs. pro-choice debate. I understand that many mothers opt for prenatal screening before the 20-week scan so they can better “prepare” themselves for the possibility of raising a child with disabilities.
But for every mother whose mind has been put at ease by a nuchal translucency scan, another has spent months agonizing over her baby’s health just because her numbers came back with a slightly increased risk of a genetic disorder. Does a test performed at 12 weeks really prepare a mother any better than one done at 20?
My inclination is no. In my opinion, the possibility for a false positive at 12 weeks just cannot justify the insomnia and heartache. Especially when perfectly healthy babies give us enough sleepless nights as it is.
I just can't bring myself to agree to invasive testing with the sole purpose of termination. Even if the screening was definitive for a chromosomal disorder, it wouldn't change my mind. I've had the privilege of meeting plenty of adults and children with so-called "disabilities" who wouldn't be here if their mothers decided to terminate upon learning of their health issues. And I certainly didn’t spend a year of my life crying over negative pregnancy tests just to voluntarily say goodbye to this one.
Do you agree? Under what condition(s) would you end a pregnancy?
RecommendRelated Posts
Post a Comment
- Back to momaroo's Momaroo Site!
- Note: your comment will appear in momaroo's local time zone: GMT -05:00 (Eastern Standard - US, Canada)
About the Author
-
- From: BoogersAndSpice
- About Me: Proud mom to Avery (born June 2008), I work from home full-time. While balancing spreadsheets and potty training at the same time can be a challenge, I wouldn't have it any other way.
Stats: This Week All Time Posts: 0 26 Views: 0 40433 Comments: 0 423 View all posts by BoogersAndSpice
Comments (90)
As of right now I'd terminate if I got pregnant because I'm 22, unemployed and trying to gain a grasp on my own life. This is why I protect myself so I don't have to go through the pain of having to terminate a pregnancy. I do know that once married and ready to have a baby I will not be terminating a pregnancy unless it is a danger to my own life. I would love my baby no matter what disability they are born with. That statistic makes me very sad.
Only in case of a life-threatening situation for myself...and only because I owe my life to the two I already have. But definitely not because of Downs.
honestly, i'm fairly certain i would terminate a pregnancy if i knew my unborn child would be born with debilitating physical or mental problems. i don't think i could live with a clean conscious knowingly bringing someone into the world to suffer. its a very personal choice, but i think income level should play a factor as well. i'm not rich, i will most likely never be rich and will never have the resources to properly care for a special needs child. my aunt, on the other hand, is very wealthy. her first son was born blind and partially deaf with severe mental handicaps and the inability to walk. she is able to give her son the best physical therapy, a nanny, and anything else that may benefit him. not all of us are as privileged. as sad as it is, she is one of the best equiped people to deal with a handicapped child, and i'm thankful that my cousin was born to her and not to a poorer family.
sarah palin has the resources to handle a child with down syndrome. as much as i disagree with her politically and morally, she is probably a very good mother to kids. (or at the very least, can pay someone qualified to watch her kids when she isn't around) but to expect less wealthy women with fewer opportunities in life to knowingly give birth to a child that she won't be able to give the care it deserves is asking too much.
My mum had my sister in Germany when she was 42. Her doctor said (in a very german manner) something along the lines of "we will do an amnio. If anything is wrong. We terminate. You have two healthy children. It is not worth it."
That was just her view.
I'm not religious, so the only factors I would take into consideration is the impact of whatever is wrong on the baby, and the impact on the current family. I had a great uncle called Kevin. He had downs syndrome and lived to be about 75 (very close to the oldest ever!) but had no quality of life. His parents had him at an age where he was really left to be in the constant care of his siblings. That lead to them having a decreased quality of life. Now, I know a lot of people will say that a limited life is better than no life, but is it really? Personally, I think I would be able to terminate up to the point at which I would have to deliver the baby. At that point, it's a baby. But if I were in my forties and the kid was going to be a permanent drain on my other children, how is that fair?
There are a lot of factors to take into consideration, and it's a very personal decision a family has to make. For us to speculate really isn't fair. Whatever the decision, whatever the reason, I agree with what that family chose to do. It's so personal, and it really is down to whether you could handle it or not.
I'm not sure I could.
My aunt terminated a pregnancy because of downs. They decided that because the conception wasn't natural (IVF) AND the baby had downs, the chances of the little one surviving were too slim. It was a forced conception of a baby that wasn't meant to be. That's what I mean, it's all down to the family.
I agree with the people who say it's not the right thing to do, but I feel defensive for those who decide to do it. I understand both sides and think it's something people outside of the family making the decision can't really speculate about.
By the way - the amnio is DNA - it's not wrong.
i would terminate a fetus with a debilitating genetic disorder.
I chose to terminate at 17 weeks since my baby wouldn't have made it to term. It was better for my health since waiting to give birth would have put my body at risk more than a D&E. It was a good thing since I was already starting to dilate and my water had broken, risking infection, the day I went in for my D&E. The act of giving birth would have been much more traumatizing.
I agree. I just don't think I could live with myself if I aborted a baby. Just because the child may face dificulties in life, doesn't seem like a good enough reason to just not give it the chance. Who am I to make that kind of decision? Exactly. So, I couldn't.
If I chose to carry the baby that far, I would choose to carry it full term regardless of downs syndrome.
As far as the other tests go, I have not decided. I know that I don't want to bother with the kind that has "some risk" (the one where they take a sample from the amniotic fluid?), no point in that really.
I try not to look at it from my perspective & try to look at through my future child's eyes. Growing up even slightly different in this society is difficult. But the really different, the "special", are often mocked & pitied. & the fact is, there are people out there with Down Syndrome who have mostly nothing wrong with them except they look different. Imagine growing up & having everyone talk to you as if you were permanently 2 years old but you're perfectly aware of what's going on. & then there are the ones born with hardly any function. Who will live with their parents or in a home for their whole lives. What kind of life is that?
I want my baby to be happy & healthy. If i could somehow know ahead of time that he or she wasn't going to have that, I wouldn't subject it to that. This world is cold & hard enough without being able to stand on your own two feet.
You see that beautiful girl in my profile picture? That happens to be my daughter. Her name is Emily. She has Down syndrome. I declined all testing and was informed about four hours after her birth. I wouldn't change a single thing about her and would have ten more just like her if I had the means to support them and the mental ability to handle that many children.
Sadly, that statistic is accurate. 9 out of 10 people would not make the same choices that I did. I say they are missing out on one of the greatest joys in life. It is a totally personal decision and I don't judge anyone that makes an INFORMED decision. That is the key word "informed". I personally know five women that were told their unborn child showed signs of Down syndrome. Five different women. Of those five women, not a single ONE had a child with Down syndrome. The tests are far from accurate and not everyone realizes that.
I am the extremely proud mom of a child with Down syndrome. That would be my answer.
Only if it becomes a life-threatening situation for me. I'm pregnant now - and I am physically disabled, with a chronic disease. My life is lovely, and while I wasn't disabled at birth, I would hate to think for a moment I might not be here because of my health. I think I'd be uniquely suited to raising a child with health issues - not better suited, really, but I already have a foot in that world, so to speak.
So no, I wouldn't terminate for medical reasons, save for my own life, or possibly rare, devastating conditions like anencephaly, etc.
For the record, I'm also vehemently pro-choice. But that is not the choice for me. I have lots of time, lots of patience, lots of empathy, and love to give, to whatever little one I'm given. It's just that I would hate to be deemed unwanted or unworthy because my health and my body aren't perfect, so I couldn't do that to someone else, especially my own flesh and blood.
I agree with you. And I also plan on opting out of that kind of testing. I am pro-life, but I'm not going to get the tests because I know it will only temp me to get an abortion if something is wrong.
I wouldn't end a pregnancy under any condition, even if my life was at stake. My boyfriend and I have talked about it and we both agree. We also agree that it would be a devastating decision to make, but also a necessary one.
When I was 35 and pregnant with my daughter, I chose not to have the testing, also. My reasoning was that even if they did find something like Down syndrome, I would not abort anyway (have you ever met a Down child? They are lovely - and so loving. They have SO much to offer the world!) Also, I already had a disabled child I was caring for as a single, widowed parent - autistic - and I had my other healthy boy to take care of, as well - I didn't need the stress of worrying about a possible disability in a new baby, even to "prepare" myself. There would be time enough for that after the baby arrived. Fortunately, baby was and is healthy. I don't think I could abort for any reason, unless it was something precariously endangering my own life that would leave my current children motherless.
As the parent of a disabled child for whom no test would have revealed his disability (most damage was caused by prolonged labor) I can say that Down Syndrome is not the worst disability in the world, and there are plenty more that your children could end up with that you won't know about until later...we should love all our babies equally - they all deserve a chance at a life within their loving family, no matter the disability. There are no guarantees that any of our children won't become disabled somewhere along the road. You just deal with it the best you can, and love them and help them.
@tofloataway@xanga - Amnio was wrong with me. I was supposed to have Downs, my mom was 37 and advised to terminate, but she kept me and I graduated in the top 3% of my class. Just sayin :D
90%.. wow. That's really shocking to me. I turned down the test for down syndrome because it would not matter either way for me. I'm currently 31 weeks pregnant. I couldn't live with myself if I terminated my pregnancy... under any circumstances. I would give my life if it meant giving my daughter a chance at life. She's already the center of my universe.. and she's yet to take her first breath. All of the people I've met and know with down syndrome only bring happiness to the people around them.. they deserve the same chance at life as anyone else would.
I'd kill myself if I'd ever have an abortion from the pain. I much rather have a baby with a shitload of problems than not being able to live with myself. I'd never mind if I had a special needs baby, and that's just my nature. I've always wanted to help children (I'm gonna be a speech pathologist). It's wrong that 90% of people abort their special needs babies. It's just sad.
This is a loaded question.
I chose not to do invasive testing because the risks with the tests themselves was astronomical. I wanted to have my son so bad that a positive pregnancy test was the best news I ever had.
With that said,
if I ever faced a situation where I knew my child would be severely handicapped I would have a hard time with deciding. I think, for the most part I would keep the baby.
We have so much nowadays with medical breakthroughs that most handicaps are no longer "disabling".
But I can say anything I want to here, I hope to never be in a position like that because depending on the disability I would make my decision.
I once saw a little girl in a specially made reclining wheel chair on oxygen through a trach. She couldn't move, couldn't communicate and laid there eyes wide watching her twin sisters running circles around her and their father. It broke my heart. I don't know If I would have the fortitude of spirit to allow my own child to be entombed in a live body like that.
like I said a very loaded question.
Well, I've never been pregnant and I don't plan to be for quite a long time but I would abort a child if they were going to have any sort of mental handicap*. Physical is one thing, mental is something that I know that I, as a caretaker, could never deal with. I don't have the patience nor do I have the selflessness.
I just don't have the personality for it.
People can say, if you feel ready for a child, you should be able to take anything that comes with it but, having experience with the schooling aspect of the mentally handicapped I know it involves far more patience and a type of compassion that I simply do not possess.
So in that case, there is no way I could take care of a child like that and adoption is often not an option.
*Please note that I am not exclusively talking about Down Syndrome, but rather blanketing a great deal of things into one--even things that to my knowledge they can't actually test for yet.
I was really upset with the way my doctor brought it up to me. I was 17 and I was in the office alone with him. I didn't even realize that there was a test and that aborting was a viable option if there was a disorder I wouldn't be able to cope with. All he did was ask if I wanted to do the test, which he described to me as very painful and unnecessary, then told me that as I was Catholic I wouldn't even consider aborting so I shouldn't bother with the test. Although it's true that I didn't consider abortion a choice, it was for personal reasons, not religious. I felt as though I didn't even have a choice, or a chance to consider my options. Luckily everything was fine with my daughter, she is a beautiful little girl and I'm so lucky to have her.
I don't recall having any "invasive" tests done while I was pregnant, so maybe Florida just does not require it to be offered? Maybe my OB was really the quack that we were left feeling he was when we demanded he leave my hospital room four hours prior to Megan's birth? *shrug* We opted in for the tests that were offered to us and, to be honest, likely would have terminated if flags had been thrown. But our situation was vastly different than yours... We didn't spend a year crying over negative pregnancy tests; we spent a week between a positive one and confirming OB appointment crying, "But...I was on the pill! I took it as directed! Same time! EVERY DAY!! What happened?!?!"
Financially, we were no where near ready for a healthy baby. A baby with Downs and likely a serious heart defect? Would have sunk us. Even with expensive health insurance, the co-pays would have killed us. Florida-sponsored healthcare says we "make too much" to qualify. (Which is a joke and a half.)
Emotionally? Forget about it. My husband had to start a new job just months before Megan was born; taking a day off for her birth took an act of congress because he was still in his first 90 days. FMLA doesn't kick in until you've been there a year and rent had to be paid... I had to stay in the hospital with her an extra 6 hours beyond when we could have been released as it were, because I had no ride home; I had to wait for him to get out of work. I would have sat alone in a hospital room for days on end with a sick baby. I have no local family and no real friends locally either, at that time. I would have been completely alone and I would have crumbled.
We simply could not have done it.
I agree that we could definitely (and should) work to better educate people on the condition and that that would easily drop the number from 90% to at least 50/50. Doctors themselves give misinformation on a lot of medical conditions before birth and have been known to misrepresent the odds of their beloved tests being wrong. I just think that it is equally important to keep ourselves informed that everyone's situation is different and that there's no one perfect solution for everyone...
I would never terminate for any reason, because a baby is a blessing from God, and if He chooses to trust me with one of His extra special children then I am going to cherish that Blessing as well.
If that baby was not meant to be, or I was not supposed to carry that baby, I believe my body would know and would miscarry.
I do not agree with all the testing and crap that goes on, and I do not agree that they are accurate.
abortions are one of those things that should never have been discovered.
It breaks my heart to know that so many would terminate a pregnancy if the baby had Downs Syndrome. I did have the genetic testing, and some of it came back abnormal and they were concerned that my Isabelle had Downs Syndrome. It turned out that she did not, and that what we didn't know was that she had Oculocutaneous Albinism. Regardless, I had made up my mind that no matter what the results were I would not terminate and would love my child how she was. Having a child with a genetic disorder is by no means easy, but it is doable and fulfilling! We spend more time in Doctor's offices than I would like, but such is life and you deal with it.
@filtered_sunlight - You forgot to mention that you know the most adorable little girl with Down syndrome. LOLOL
I skipped ALL testing for these things and only had one state-mandatory ultrasound at 12 weeks to confirm I was pregnant, etc. Beyond that, my husband and I felt we were so blessed to be pregnant which was against all the odds for me (according to doctors), and if our baby was born with Downs Syndrome, we still would be blessed the most beautiful baby on earth.
Not to mention, I have a number of friends who had these tests done, and some of them were told the chances of a DS baby were extremely high. Not a single one of them were born with DS.
If the pregnancy threatened my life or both our lives.