Down's syndrome in Iceland

CBS reported Sunday in Iceland 80% to 85% of pregnant mothers take a prenatal test and “close to 100 percent” who received a positive test for Down syndrome “terminated their pregnancy.” The law in Iceland permits abortion after 16 weeks if the fetus has a deformity -- and Down syndrome is included in this category.

When Thordis Ingadottir was pregnant with her third child at the age of 40, she took the screening test. The results showed her chances of having a child with Down syndrome were very slim, odds of 1 in 1,600. However, the screening test is only 85 percent accurate. That year, 2009, three babies were born with Down syndrome in Iceland, including Ingadottir's daughter Agusta, who is now 7. Since the birth of her daughter, Ingadottir has become an activist for the rights of people with Down syndrome.

There's a DS kid that works at Walmart, and another
at an other local grocery. They are hard workers, but
introverted and always talking to themselves. I've
never spoken to them, I don't know how they'd
react. They mostly stock shelves and work
in produce.

Quote: Evenbob

but introverted .

Oh, the horrors!

Isn't it known now as 21trisomy?

And the conditions most severe features can be modulated by regulating diet and taking large doses of vitamins.

Quote: Fleastiff

And the conditions most severe features can be modulated by regulating diet and taking large doses of vitamins.

No one asked Thordis Ingadottir if she would have had an abortion had she known she would bear a sick child. The article said she took the test, and predicted the odds at 1 in 1600.

I'm not sure what test is under discussion but usually they take some cells floating around in the amniotic fluid and look at them under a microscope but not all cells will reveal an extra chromosome.
Long ago I posted about one medical test that was 1.99999 but was reported as 'normal' because 2.0 was the trigger number for abnormal. All tests have false negative and false positive rates even if they are only theoretical rates.

Doctors often adviise don't take a test unless you are able to deal with the results.

A 'bad news' result does not obligate one to have an abortion but it might allow psychological preparation and use of prenatal vitamin regimens, insurance policies, etc.

Quote: Fleastiff

A 'bad news' result does not obligate one to have an abortion but it might allow psychological preparation and use of prenatal vitamin regimens, insurance policies, etc.

In Iceland no one is obligated to take the test, or to perform an abortion if the test is negative. But human nature means that most women take the test and perform the abortion. It's a small country of 330,000 people who tend not to embrace that kind of extreme right to life attitude.

Its also a country that places a good deal of emphasis on a physically active outdoors oriented lifestyle and provides, I believe, free university education so the 'sound mind in a sound body' principle is strong. Handicapped parking exists and is rather strictly enforced so I would not expect any condemnation of those who were not physcally and mentally fit.

Quote: Pacomartin

In Iceland no one is obligated to take the test, or to perform an abortion if the test is negative. But human nature means that most women take the test and perform the abortion. It's a small country of 330,000 people who tend not to embrace that kind of extreme right to life attitude.

What in the world is extreme about not killing a child who is disabled?!?!?

Nature's way is to eliminate the unfit. Extreme situations in the uterus result in spontaneous abortions less extreme situations result in faillure to thrive physically or failure to thrive intellectually and are a financial and emotional burden on the parents who want normal children if not Lake Woebegon kids where all the children are above average.

CBS reported Sunday that the majority of expecting mothers in the country or “close to 100 percent” who received a positive test for Down syndrome “terminated their pregnancy.” The network tweeted on Sunday, "Iceland is on pace to virtually eliminate Down syndrome through abortion. #CBSNOA learns more, tonight at 10pm ET/PT."

The 59-year-old actress, Patricia Heaton took to Twitter with a heated reply, taking aim at the wording of the CBS tweet and Iceland in the process.
"Iceland isn't actually eliminating Down Syndrome. They're just killing everybody that has it. Big difference," she wrote.

Quote: FrGamble

What in the world is extreme about not killing a child who is disabled?!?!?

Well, you are killing a fetus, not a child. But I understand that you see that as the same thing.

I know that a friend of mine from high school chose to give birth to a baby that she knew would only live for a few hours or days at most. I am sorry, but that is "extreme" IMHO.

I will retract the word for choosing to give birth to a baby that you know has Down's syndrome. But as Iceland has few or no Catholics or Baptists, I doubt that they have one woman a year that goes through such a pregnancy.