Informed consent or institutionalized eugenics? How the medical profession encourages abortion of fetuses with Down syndrome

Issues Law Med. 2008 Summer;24(1):3-59.

Abstract

Many women are unprepared to make prenatal decisions about fetuses diagnosed with Down Syndrome because of societal pressures to have "normal" children, a negative view of persons with disabilities by many in society, a fear of legal liability by those in the medical community, the lack of genuine informed consent before undergoing genetic testing and abortion, and the failure of non-directive pre-abortion counseling in the medical community. Moreover, medical professionals fail to communicate correct and unbiased information before and during the genetic screening, diagnostic testing, and abortion decision-making process. This article addresses the contributing factors and causes that ultimately lead to a lack of informed consent and a very high abortion rate for fetuses diagnosed with Down Syndrome.

MeSH terms

  • Abortion, Eugenic / ethics*
  • Abortion, Eugenic / psychology
  • Attitude of Health Personnel*
  • Decision Making*
  • Down Syndrome / diagnosis
  • Down Syndrome / psychology*
  • Eugenics
  • Female
  • Genetic Counseling / ethics*
  • Genetic Counseling / legislation & jurisprudence
  • Humans
  • Informed Consent*
  • Pregnancy
  • Prenatal Diagnosis / ethics
  • United States