Inspired by MaterniT21 – Resources for Expectant Families

This post links to a series of posts discussing the new tests that detect Down syndrome in the first trimester of pregnancy (materniT21).

“It is our hope to bring awareness to concerns regarding these tests, as well as bring a call to action.”

My son. My son with Down Syndrome.

As a family who adopted a son with Down Syndrome (thanks to the most beautiful birth story I’ve ever read and other adoptive families), the idea of testing for Down Syndrome with the probability of termination is… well, upsetting. I KNOW that it can be a blessing to know if your child has a disability before they’re born. I know that! But the usual statistic quoting the number of pregnancies terminated when the child has Down Syndrome is a shocking 90%.

Not long ago, I discovered the blog A Perfect Lily. Recently she took up the challenge to provide a response to the new prenatal test for Down Syndrome (MaterniT21).

Her response will be different than one from your doctor.
It’s more like the response you might get from a friend of yours; From a friend who considers herself profoundly blessed to have a daughter with Down Syndrome, and whose core is deeply disturbed that this test will cause there to be fewer and fewer people with Down Syndrome alive in our world today.

I hope you will find these posts insightful, challenging and beautiful… as I have. At least one entry is written from a woman who is Pro-Choice.

Just as he is.

(Post-script on the titles below is from me:)

Pre-Series – Targeted – The blog before the series started…
Post 1 – We Have a Voice – Introduction to the series by the mother of a little girl with Down Syndrome. Hello, mother bear claws!
Post 2 – Follow the Money – Questioning whether there is pressure from insurance and others to avoid medically expensive people who could be aborted before born. (abortion as listed under preventative care…)
Post 3 – Canary in the Coal Mine – Are we going to make Down Syndrome extinct by our selective pregnancies… and is this going to improve our society?
Post 4 – It’s about wanting a baby – A woman who is pro-choice speaks out about the value of children with Down Syndrome.
Post 5 – Saving Down Syndrome – Studies that describe what percentage of people will abort their babies when given prenatal diagnoses of Down Syndrome.
Post 6 – Diagnosis: Down Syndrome… Part 1 – Short descriptions from dozens of parents about when they personally received a diagnosis from their doctor while they were pregnant.
Post 7 – Diagnosis: Down Syndrome… Part 2 – Short descriptions from dozens of parents about when they personally received a diagnosis of Down Syndrome from their doctor while they were pregnant.
Post 8 – Chromosome Enhanced – Why would somebody adopt a child with Down Syndrome…?
Post 9 – Interview with Diane Grover – Diane Grover from International Down Syndrome Coalition (IDSC) shares her thoughts about Maternit21 and DS.
Post 10 – Shining a Light on Prenatal Screening – What the doctors will likely tell you vs. what parents of children/adults with Down Syndrome will tell you.
Post 11 – A Positive Outcome – Voice from a woman who offers support on a large online forum for parents of babies with Down Syndrome.
Bonus post – and it’s also about LIFE – Sharing glimpses into the lives of children with significant special needs and their families.

Please pop into this blog more in the future… there will be follow-up posts. And adorable pictures of Lily. That is one adorable girl!

“Our children arrived exactly as they were designed. There was no mistake here. They are a direct and unmistakable gift from God. He has given us children capable of copious amounts of unconditional love because we haven’t been open to receiving the more indirect ways He’s been showering it on us for the previous years of our lives.” ~Courtney Heigele