The problem is, too many people are not using the facts. One in particular has been in my feed SEVEN times TODAY.
“92% of babies with Down syndrome are aborted.”
This figure wasn’t wrong when it came out, per se, but even then, it didn’t really translate to the American population- who has a largely different view on Down syndrome than other areas of the world. I’m as much at fault for this as anyone, the statistic is sited on this very blog. When it was cited, however, the information was the lastest I had. That has changed.
We can take heart in that the number that is frequently cited- 92%- is too high.
The latest in American studies have shown that the percentage of pregnancies that are aborted after receiving a prenatal diagnosis vary widely from locations and settings. Some studies show numbers as low as 50%, and the highest being at 85% (in ONE study, remember that if you choose to go with that number- it was only one study and is not representative of the actual numbers across the country).
In fact, the rates of termination are COMING DOWN! That is in no small part because of the awareness that the community has generated about what life is really like with Down syndrome.
You can read the entire study at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pd.2910/full
I’m all for awareness-as we can see it’s doing SO MUCH GOOD- we just need to make sure that the numbers we are using to educate our friends and communities are correct.
Lexi Mag 
Thank you so much for this post! 🙂
Thanks for posting this.i am one of the ones at fault;) i posted this as my status today on fb…but i really just seen so many of my other friends over there posting it so of course i just had to go with the flow…so thanks for taking the time to look into it bc i surely didnt have the time and i guess i shouldnt of posted it but thats what you ALWAYS here..;)
I’m finding this a bit behind. I’m stunned by the new North Dakota law passed today, and what I’m really thinking about is teen pregnancy, medical reasons for an abortion and every single child that might be unwanted but that they will not risk illegal abortions or travel. I’m trying to find statistics on “medical abortions” and the closed that I seem to find is Down’s syndrome. Can you help?
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