Iceland is close to eliminating Down syndrome births due to widespread prenatal screening tests and nearly 100% of women choosing an abortion in the case of a positive test for Down syndrome:
With the rise of prenatal screening tests across Europe and the United States, the number of babies born with Down syndrome has significantly decreased, but few countries have come as close to eradicating Down syndrome births as Iceland.
Since prenatal screening tests were introduced in Iceland in the early 2000s, the vast majority of women -- close to 100 percent -- who received a positive test for Down syndrome terminated their pregnancy.
While the tests are optional, the government states that all expectant mothers must be informed about availability of screening tests, which reveal the likelihood of a child being born with Down syndrome. Around 80 to 85 percent of pregnant women choose to take the prenatal screening test, according to Landspitali University Hospital in Reykjavik.
[...] Other countries aren't lagging too far behind in Down syndrome termination rates. According to the most recent data available, the United States has an estimated termination rate for Down syndrome [open, DOI: 10.1002/pd.2910] [DX] of 67 percent (1995-2011); in France it's 77 percent (2015); and Denmark, 98 percent (2015). The law in Iceland permits abortion after 16 weeks if the fetus has a deformity -- and Down syndrome is included in this category.
The Prenatal Diagnosis link in the summary was replaced with a working version.
National Review has a counterpoint opinion piece about the CBSN article. Snopes has a page debunking inaccurate headlines about the article.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 17 2017, @01:02PM (4 children)
By getting the abortion, the women are preventing not just the "baby" from being born, but from becoming a baby at all. You terminate at a very early stage of development if at all possible.
Modern medicine has made great strides in keeping alive for a long time people with all sorts of conditions who would have died sooner--they have increased the burden on the caretakers and the rest of us at the same time. This is a step forward.
For all the prolife people: are you willing to adopt the Downs babies yourself that are unwanted? If not, WHY NOT?
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday August 17 2017, @01:18PM (3 children)
They can get the abortion pretty late:
We should allow fourth trimester abortions though.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday August 17 2017, @01:45PM (1 child)
163rd trimester. Just to make sure.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by captain_nifty on Thursday August 17 2017, @05:05PM
163/3=54.3
Are you by any chance 55 or older?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 17 2017, @01:57PM
Most of those terminations happen before 12th week. But in rare cases a special permission is given (in case of danger for the mother) up to 20th week.