For medical elites, prenatal testing for Down syndrome is to allow for abortion

The American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine have issued new guidelines on the administration of prenatal screening and diagnostic testing. A critical reading of the guidelines makes clear that the justifications given for prenatal testing are limited in the case of Down syndrome to allowing for aborting the pregnancy and that preserving the availability of abortion as an option is the primary concern in the administration of prenatal Continue Reading

How Down syndrome prenatal screening’s administration is about elimination … & what’s needed to change that

In her column in Forbes, Kavin Senapathy, a self-styled scientific mythbuster, took on claims that prenatal genetic testing has as its purpose eliminating those with Down syndrome. Unfortunately, her column retold myths and she based her mythbusting on fantasy. Continue Reading

Sarah Knapton: Please update your inaccurate, biased report on the NHS offering NIPT to high-risk mums

Sarah Knapton reports in The Telegraph that Britain's National Health Service will offer non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). The inaccuracies and biases of the report require an update. Continue Reading

ISPD: not that serious of a concern after all

Over at the Prenatal Information Research Consortium (PIRC) blog I have a post noting the "sea-change" in the International Society for Prenatal Diagnosis' position on noninvasive prenatal screening. Here are a few other notes from the ISPD's updated statement on NIPS. Continue Reading

Pop quiz: what’s wrong with these headlines?

News from just the past week has featured a number of questionable headlines. See if you can spot what's wrong about them.  Continue Reading

Times of India spreads false information on Down syndrome prenatal testing

What's become an annual event, the Times of India has published yet another mistake-riddled report on prenatal testing for Down syndrome.  Continue Reading

More informed decisions = less prenatal testing

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association makes what for some is a surprising finding: when women know more about prenatal testing, fewer of them accept it. Continue Reading

How many women have prenatal testing for Down syndrome?

A recent study calculated how many women in the United States have prenatal screening for Down syndrome. It's a growing number.  Continue Reading

An invitation to Richard Dawkins: come meet my daughter

Richard Dawkins, in his words, "let slip the dogs of Twitterwar" yesterday with a tweet about Down syndrome, abortion, and morality. That tweet and his response since, demonstrates he is profoundly ignorant about Down syndrome. So, Prof. Dawkins, you're invited to meet someone with Down syndrome to cure that ignorance. Continue Reading