Words matter: how to describe NIPT & Down syndrome

 

This news report is far better than most I have seen in providing balance in the information shared about the new non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for Down syndrome (and it’s the first I ever remember seeing where an amniocentesis is actually filmed as it is performed). That said, what words or phrases or the way the information is presented jump out at you as having room for improvement in being less biased against Down syndrome? I have suggested to the leadership of the Canadian Down Syndrome Society that there may be an opportunity for a follow up to provide the broader picture of living a life “like this” as one mother describes it in the video.