Some of the e-mails I’ve received about this piece that appeared in the Washington Post yesterday:

Ms. Lopez–
Reading the Post article made me mad all over again.
Nine years ago, my wife and I were expecting our first baby. Our OB/GYN guy performed the “triple screen” test. The following Friday we received a phone call telling us that we had an abnormal result on the test. There was an indication of an increased possibility of Downs Syndrome. When we tried to ask questions we were instructed to schedule an appointment with a genetic counselor. The first available appointment was the following Wednesday. There was no joy in our house that weekend.
That Wednesday we went to the offices of the genetic counselor. She explained that someone my wife’s age (she was 35) ought to score about 275 on the test and that instead her score was 205. That sounds like a lot until you understand that it’s a fraction. We ought to have ONE CHANCE IN 275 or having a child with Downs Syndrome versus having ONE CHANCE IN 205! We’re talking about a 99.6% chance of a healthy child versus a 99.5% chance of a healthy child. I believe I threatened that woman’s life. They put us through Hell over one-tenth of one percent! They encouraged us to have amniocentesis. We declined. They looked at us like we had two heads.
We did not repeat this with the second child. We fired the OB/GYN guy and hired a nurse-midwife.
To this day I believe it’s an elaborate scam. They scare the Bejeesus out of people. Then they go over the numbers with people who don’t understand math. Then they perform a procedure that costs a few thousand dollars–paid for by health insurance. Most amnios come back negative and the patients are greatly relieved. They probably thank the genetic counselor instead of throwing her through the nearest window.
They operate under the assumption that you want to know if your baby has a problem and that you’ll want to terminate it if it does.
On a related note, our 8-year-old daughter–you know, the one that might have Downs Syndrome–scored in the 99th percentile on multiple sections of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills last year. She’s been invited to participate in a program for talented children at Johns Hopkins University.

**

Thought you might be interested in the story of my neighbors and their Down’s daughter Naia. Check this book out: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807028177/102-4725898-0715300?v=glance&n=283155&s=books&v=glance. These are good people who faced a difficult situation and made the right choice. Anyhow, they are my friends, and their story is worth telling. The author followed up the book (and the original series of stories in the Boston Globe) in 2004, I think, so you might be able to find some more information. Also, they were the subject of a “Dateline NBC” story in 2003. They have been pretty active in getting the word out that Down’s kids are alright.

**

Ms. Lopez,
I read that WaPo story last night and was moved to tears. This is me with my sister Kathy, she is 44 years old and has Downs Syndrome. She lives with me and we walk to the basketball court, even though she is only 5′ tall she is an excellent free throw shooter.
Who is to say her life is less valuable than, say, a politicians or a movie stars, or even a pundits? Who is the Judge?…

If you haven’t read Patricia E. Bauer’s piece, please do.