Continuing the chapter of the book devoted to the most chosen option following a prenatal diagnosis, this section makes the case that, for all those stated reasons, THE reason for prenatal testing for Down syndrome is: abortion. Continue Reading
November 30, 2020
Ch. 3, Part 1: Abortion & Fast Times in High School
This image will make sense if you read the post Chapter Three of the serially-posted book I'm working on examines the choice most women make after receiving a prenatal diagnosis for Down syndrome: abortion. It begins with my own experience in high school. Continue Reading
November 23, 2020
Ch. 2, Part 10: A “serious concern” about cell free DNA screening
One of these things is not like the other And so we have arrived at the final section of Chapter Two's disquisition on prenatal genetic testing for Down syndrome. It covers how once cell free DNA screening entered the marketplace, professional medical organizations and researchers expressed "serious concern" about its misleading marketing and rapid adoption in clinical practice. But, in just a few years, the professional medical organizations all fell in line with recommending offering cell Continue Reading
November 2, 2020
Ch. 2, Part 9: Your MaterniT21, Panorama, Harmony, or verifi screen result is NOT 99% Accurate for Down syndrome
Here is the penultimate section of Chapter Two's exposition on prenatal genetic testing. The previous installments of this serialized book can be accessed at this link. In this second-to-last section, I detail how, for all the marketing claims that tests like MaterniT21, Harmony, et al. are "99% accurate", for moms 30 and younger, they really are as accurate as a coin flip. Continue Reading
October 19, 2020
Ch. 2, Part 9: What MaterniT21, Harmony, Panorama, and verifi are actually testing
In the course of Chapter 2's exploration of prenatal genetic testing, we finally arrive at cell free DNA screening and what exactly tests like MaterniT21, Harmony, and Panorama are actually testing. Continue Reading
October 8, 2020
Chapter 2, Part 8: The ethical bedrock for prenatal genetic testing is shifting sand
So the headline ran after ACOG changed its guidelines for prenatal genetic testing. Um, except that's not what "Doctors say." It's just how everyone understands what ACOG meant when it changed the standard of care for when women are to be offered prenatal genetic testing. Continue Reading
September 16, 2020
Chapter 2, Part 7: “Willing to Take the Risk”
Picking up where Part 6 left off, we continue to explore prenatal genetic screening. Read on for the visual reason why an ultrasound screening technique was developed for Down syndrome and how the obstetrician pictured above explained why ACOG changed its guidelines so that all women were to be offered prenatal genetic testing for Down syndrome. Continue Reading
September 2, 2020
Chapter 2, Part 5: Ignoring a Necessary Element for a Screening Program
Why, after attending the first full day of the International Society for Prenatal Diagnosis in Miami, Florida in 2012, was I drinking from a fifth of Wild Turkey on the beach long after the sun had gone down? Read on to find out. Continue Reading
May 19, 2020
Chapter 2, Part 6: A lawsuit changes prenatal care
With the first four installments of Chapter 2 covering diagnostic genetic testing, we now turn to prenatal genetic screening. The previous installments can be found here. Read on to learn how a lawsuit, not science, changed the standard of care for prenatal genetic testing for Down syndrome. Continue Reading
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