Prenatal Tests Target Unborn Babies with Down Syndrome.(JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association reports on test reliability)(Brief Article)

During pregnancy, women undergo many tests to ensure the health of the baby and mother, screening for problems such as gestational diabetes and high blood pressure. However, unborn children are also tested for nonfatal, less severe problems. Those who are found to have conditions such as Down syndrome are almost always killed before they can draw their first breath.

A report in the February 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that a very common method used to screen for Down syndrome is extremely unreliable. However, researchers continue to devote much time and money to develop other ways to diagnose Down syndrome, methods that can be done earlier in pregnancy with more accuracy.

People with Down syndrome, which is caused by the presence of an extra chromosome, often have mild to moderate mental retardation, congenital heart defects, and an increased risk for certain diseases, according to the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS). Those with the syndrome can live full, productive, and happy lives with help from modern medicine and quality educational programs.

"People with Down syndrome are people first," insists the NDSS on its web site. They "have the same emotions and needs as their peers and deserve the same opportunities."

But prejudice and fear against those with Down syndrome are still very common. "Identification and selective abortion of Down syndrome pregnancies raise important ethical concerns," according to the National Institutes of Health's Guide to Clinical Preventive Services. "These concerns include the implicit message that Down syndrome is an undesirable state, the interpretation of induced abortion in eugenic terms by some persons, and societal and economic pressures that may stigmatize families with a Down syndrome member."

The drive to find new and better diagnostic tools that usually lead to the deaths of unborn babies with Down syndrome does nothing to alleviate such concerns.

The JAMA report analyzed studies concerning the use of second-trimester ultrasound tests that looked for physical "markers" thought to indicate the presence of Down syndrome. The markers included "a shaded area suggesting a thickening at the back of the neck" (or nuchal fold); "certain brain cysts; shortened thigh and upper-arm bones; bright spots on the bowel or heart; and high fluid levels in the kidneys," according to the Associated Press.