Down Syndrome Isn't A Disease

There is yet another article out about the potential new prenatal test for Ds. The one that tests the mother's blood for Down syndrome via her DNA. I've read other articles on it and posted about it here.

The article I read yesterday - Down syndrome test breakthrough on the horizon - made me so upset based on the language used to describe Down syndrome, and the blatantly obvious one-sided termination angle.

According to Philippos Patsalis of the Institute of Neurology and Genetics in Nicosia, this test is "one of the most important milestones in the history of the institute." Really? An earlier and less-invasive prenatal test for Ds is one of the most important milestones for this institute? What else do they do there? Do they not work on anything other than coming up with a new prenatal test for Ds?

It gets better.

Patsalis goes on to say that the "cheaper and quicker method of blood sampling rather than collecting fluid from the womb will encourage more couples to take the test and therefore slowly eradicate the disease."

Slowly eradicate the disease. I had to let that sink in. Slowly eradicate the disease.

Wait a minute. Down syndrome isn't a disease. It's a syndrome. A group of characteristics shared by individuals who have an extra copy of chromosome 21.


You can not "eradicate" Down syndrome because it happens at conception. But you can "eradicate" babies from being born with Down syndrome by stopping those babies from being born at all.


You're not eradicating a disease, you're not even eradicating Down syndrome itself (because it will still happen), but what you are doing is eradicating human beings. A segment of the population. A percentage of the human race.


He's assuming that because more couples will take the test that will mean more couples will chose to terminate their pregnancy. A rate that is already high - 90% of women who receive a prenatal diagnosis of Ds chose to terminate.

And he pretty much comes right out and says this is a test for those who will terminate, never once mentioning that maybe some will take the test to know, not to terminate, but to prepare for raising their baby with Ds, or placing that baby for adoption. Instead it's all about the termination of babies with Ds.

"There is no cure, so this is a test for couples who want to know and prevent it..." Prevent it. Again, you can not prevent Down syndrome from happening; you can only prevent those who have it, from being born at all.

Eugenics, anyone?