It was reported in a 2013 poll by 1 in 4 women who had received a positive prenatal diagnosis for Down syndrome that their doctors were insistent they terminate their pregnancy. They also reported that negative experiences following a prenatal diagnosis outnumbered positive ones 2.5 to 1!

Doctors who are insistent that women make a radical decision to abort their child with Down syndrome must not be aware of the statistics published by Dr. Brian Skotko that show the high level of happiness experienced by families who have children with Down syndrome. Perhaps they are unaware of the quality of life available to most through inclusion programs in schools, improved medical care, and work programs. Certainly doctors believe that they are on their patient’s side, but they forget that in caring for a pregnant woman they are reallycaring for two patients. The mother must be supported while she works through the normal process of disappointment and fear after a prenatal diagnosis, but the doctor MUST also be an advocate for the welfare of the baby developing in her womb. What a horrible injustice it is to encourage a family to deny life to a child that could bring them so much joy! We work hard each day to resolve this injustice.

We were asked by the Charlotte Lozier Institute to prepare a white paper for them on the modern history of Down syndrome, and to include an update on current research, the reality of prenatal diagnosis and termination, and to make recommendations for policy initiatives that could be promoted to legislators across the country. The paper, "Improving Joyful Lives: Society's Response to Difference and Disability" is available at the Charlotte Lozier Institute website.

Our report was published in June and distributed broadly to their affiliates across the country with the encouragement that it be used as a map for passing legislation like “Chloe’s Law,” Pennsylvania’s Down Syndrome Prenatal Education Act, that was signed into law by our governor last July.

Speaking of "Chloe's Law," last November we asked a friend who has connections in our state legislature to begin finding sponsors for legislation that would ensure women who receive a positive prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome in Pennsylvania receive balanced and factual information on the outcomes of having a child with Down syndrome. Our friend, Kurt Kondrich, was amazing. With his committed effort, “Chloe’s law” became the latest in a series of state initiatives that provide support to women who receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome.