New project launched to reduce abortion rate for pre-natal Down syndrome diagnoses

Sep 6, 2008 / 23:17 pm

Concerned Women of America (CWA) of New York has launched a new international project that aims to reduce the abortion rate for babies diagnosed with Down syndrome, which reportedly stands at 90 percent. The project was developed in consultation with major Down syndrome groups in the United States.

According to a CWA of New York press release, the project makes available a free informational brochure titled “When you've learned that your baby may have Down syndrome ... There is help and hope!”

The brochure offers reassurance to families facing a prenatal Down syndrome diagnosis and informs them of resources and support groups to help them and their baby. It features the photographs of children and young adults with Down syndrome along with their family members.

"The brochure features the faces of a number of children and adults with Down syndrome,” Anne F. Downey, Esq., State Director for CWA of New York, said in a press release. “Each of the persons featured in the brochure came to me in a special way and has his or her own wonderful story to tell. In the photos you can see the joy that these young people and their family members have. Just looking at them, you can see that there truly is help and hope."

Published in English and Spanish, the brochure is available for free download at http://DownSyndromeBrochure.com, where printed copies may also be ordered for a nominal price. Special arrangements are available for large orders.

CWA of New York intends eventually to offer the brochure in many different languages with country-specific information.

The organization says the brochure helps OB/GYN doctors and others to provide expectant mothers with clear information, as recommended by a December 2007 bulletin from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).