People with Down syndrome are not costs to be avoided through prenatal testing

I shouldn't even have to say this. Continue Reading

What is the clinical utility of Down syndrome prenatal testing?

Yesterday's post on the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's statement saying noninvasive prenatal screening isn't ready for the general population left out a significant sentence. It raises the question: what is the clinical utility of Down syndrome prenatal testing? Continue Reading

International Holocaust Remembrance Day: do we remember?

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. But do we remember?  Continue Reading

Top developments in Down syndrome prenatal testing for 2013

Finishing the year-in-review posts, here are what I believe are the developments in Down syndrome prenatal testing that had and will have the greatest impact from 2013: Continue Reading

Is non-directiveness in prenatal genetic testing a myth?: Gladwell’s Blink and implicit associations of Down syndrome

On Sunday, 60 Minutes profiled author Malcolm Gladwell on his new book about underdogs. In a previous book Blink, Gladwell explored how we think without thinking. His writing explains why some people laugh at the notion of non-directive counseling about prenatal testing. Continue Reading

Sweden: more Down syndrome prenatal testing, more selective abortion

That is the news out of Sweden: as prenatal testing for Down syndrome has expanded, there have been more abortions following a Down syndrome diagnosis. What do you think about the way this news was reported? Continue Reading

Not a termination rate. An elimination rate.

If you haven't noticed, a while back I added a "News" page to the blog (you can find the link under the tab for "Articles" on the homepage). Here's a news item where a 90% termination rate would actually be lower than what is happening. Continue Reading

The Case for Conserving Disability

Following up on a previous post, here's highlights from "the case for conserving disability" by Rosemarie Garland-Thomson. I hope the quoted selections below suggest the ability to completely change your perspective on disability that Garland-Thomson's article did when I read it. Continue Reading

Faces in the crowd & Down syndrome awareness

This past weekend, my wife and I enjoyed a trip to New York City. Here's what we saw, and what we didn't see.  Continue Reading