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posted by martyb on Thursday August 17 2017, @11:09AM   Printer-friendly
from the I-Am-Sam dept.

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.


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  • (Score: 3, Troll) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday August 17 2017, @02:41PM (3 children)

    by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Thursday August 17 2017, @02:41PM (#555332) Homepage Journal

    Yeah, I was swapping bodily fluids with a chick sitting at around 85 a couple years back. It was kinda refreshing. She was horribly wrong all the time but you never had to go through any mental gymnastics to figure out why she thought that way; it was always for the most obvious reason, without any nuance involved. The only thing about her that really got on my nerves was her penchant for watching reality TV. The big ole titties made up for that though.

    --
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 17 2017, @05:05PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 17 2017, @05:05PM (#555433)

    The big ole titties made up for that though

    An extreme lack of intelligence is a bit of boner-killer for me. Airheadedness and obliviousness are tolerable if they aren't too talkative, but very low intelligence seems to trigger a disgust response in me.

    I remember trying to give a girl directions to my place:
    Me: Where are you coming from?
    Rocks for brains: I don't know. We've stopped somewhere
    Me: Where are you?
    Waste of oxygen: We're next to a white truck.
    Me: What street are you on?
    Would try to put out a fire with gasoline, since it's wet: I'm not sure, but we're next to a big white truck.

  • (Score: 2) by NewNic on Thursday August 17 2017, @06:13PM (1 child)

    by NewNic (6420) on Thursday August 17 2017, @06:13PM (#555474) Journal

    Is Ethanol-fueled your sock-puppet account?

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    lib·er·tar·i·an·ism ˌlibərˈterēənizəm/ noun: Magical thinking that useful idiots mistake for serious political theory
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 17 2017, @07:27PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 17 2017, @07:27PM (#555516)

      Would not be surprised, but uzzy maintains he only uses the one account and never posts as AC. Then again he's been caught spinning half-truths, outright lies, and generally can't be trusted as a self-described troll so YMMV.