Asking the Wrong Questions About Down Syndrome?

Last updated on: February 21, 2013 at 1:53 pm by Amy Julia Becker

Asking the Wrong Questions About Down Syndrome? 2013-02-21T13:53:51-05:00 Amy Julia Becker

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I have a new post on the Health site of theatlantic.com. They named it Better Prenatal Testing Does Not Mean More Abortion, but my favorite part of the post is this paragraph:

In retrospect I wonder why I spent so much time convincing myself that the test results would be negative. I spent no time thinking about why the prospect of a child with Down syndrome caused such tightness in my chest, such a need to convince myself that it couldn’t be true of my child or within my family. Why was I so frightened of Down syndrome? Was it the way the tests were presented, the aura of somber intensity that came along with the uncertain results? Was it fear on behalf of my baby? Or fear for myself? Did it disrupt a hazy vision of the life I had always expected our family to lead? Was it the fact that a diagnosis of Down syndrome automatically led to a conversation about abortion, that Down syndrome automatically led to a choice that wouldn’t have otherwise been on the table? I didn’t ask myself any of those questions back then. I just wanted a healthy baby.

To read more on the history of prenatal testing and abortion, read the article, and please offer your comments if you have something to say.

And for much more information on prenatal testing, Down syndrome, and women’s choices, check out What Every Woman Needs to Know About Prenatal Testing: Insight From a Mom Who Has Been There

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