Sam Brownback: “I am excited and encouraged that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pension today voted unanimously to pass…”

“I am excited and encouraged that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pension today voted unanimously to pass the Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act. This legislation will help parents receiving the news that their unborn child may be born with a disability by supplying them with current and reliable information about the many services and support networks available. This information will also be made available to parents whose children were diagnosed at birth or up until 12 months of age. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists now recommends that the screening procedure used to detect Downsyndrome be offered to all pregnant women, not just those over the age of 35, as was recommended in the past. According to the American Journal of Medical Genetics, 80-90 percent of patients who are told that the child they are carrying has Downsyndrome choose to have abortions. The percentage is similarly high for children with other prenatally diagnosable conditions. A recent study by Prenatal Diagnosis actually puts the figure at between 91 to 93 percent. I believe that one of the main reasons for these disturbingly high figures is that many people in society still believe the outdated stereotypes and misconceptions that continue to exist about people with disabilities.”