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 […]

Continue reading...

Paradise, interrupted

Bonnie Rochman, a columnist for TIME magazine, has a new post about her trip to paradise being interrupted. It informs how a diagnosis for Down syndrome is delivered and processed by expectant parents. Rochman writes about her son entering a T-shirt shop selling shirts that made fun of individuals with intellectual disabilities. By coincidence, a […]

Continue reading...

Guess who was at the 2013 Golden Globes?

Last year, it was a photo with George Clooney. This year, a photo with Dame Helen Mirren. I doubt Lauren’s parents (or anyone for that matter) would have expected at the time the diagnosis of Down syndrome was delivered that Lauren would go on to have a recurring role in a smash TV show and […]

Continue reading...

An Open Letter to NDSS, NDSC, and GDSF: Answers Still Needed

It has been over 40 days since the open letter to NDSS, NDSC, and GDSF was posted seeking answers to a few questions. Tweets to the organizations and an e-mail to the leadership of each organization with a copy of the open letter provided also were sent. The holidays, understandably, may have interfered with a response being […]

Continue reading...

Does it matter if nature has a moral authority?

Spring cleaning suggests that is the season when cleaning gets done. But, as an attorney, the holidays often provide a lull where we can bring some order to the stacks of papers that have accumulated throughout the year. In doing so, I found a study that I read quite some time ago, but is one […]

Continue reading...

We Know Not What We May Be

During the winter break, I tried spending as much time as possible with my family. I treasure how, at the start of December, the day after we put the Christmas tree up, my daughter came downstairs, threw down both her hands, and, exasperated, said, “Daddy–where are all the presents?!” A recent post by Amy Juila […]

Continue reading...

Is Prenatal Testing for Down Syndrome an “Essential Health Benefit”?

In a previous post, I posted the comment I submitted that is due on December 26. This post provides a fuller explanation of the proposed regulation and the reasons for my comment. I invite you to submit your own comment on the proposed regulation. Read on to find out why. With the election over, the […]

Continue reading...

Questions RE: Down Syndrome Prenatal Testing Being an “Essential Health Benefit”

In a longer piece to be published later, I explain how the Department for Health & Human Services (HHS) has issued a proposed regulation where prenatal testing for Down syndrome will likely be covered as an essential health benefit (EHB) under the healthcare reform law, aka “Obamacare.” HHS is accepting comments on the proposed regulation […]

Continue reading...

In Memoriam: Donna Lee Preston, An Unexpected Life

On the “About Me” page, I mention that I am involved with several organizations devoted to serving individuals with intellectual disabilities. A week ago, a member of one of those organizations passed away. Her name was Donna Lee Preston, and she lived an unexpected life. Donna was born in another era for individuals with Down […]

Continue reading...