Thursday, January 31, 2013

Special Needs and International Adoptions part 2

As a former healthcare provider I have worked with different disabilities including Alzheimer's disease, MS, CP, Mental Retardation, Huntington Disease and Down Syndrome. Because of HIPPA  I can't discuss any individual even though most have passed away but the CP , MR and DS patients were American but spent all their lives in institutions. Our country has improved their attitude towards disabilities the last 30 year's or so but still have a long way to go.

Even though Americans are adopting kids with DS internationally our Dr's are encouraging women to terminate when DS is diagnosed or suspected. 90-95% of women abort when prenatal testing indicates DS, only 5-10 out of 100 will carry to term. The sad reality is not every prenatal test is correct.

My great nieces were misdiagnosed with DS when my niece was 18 weeks and the Dr gave her the option to terminate the pregnancy . Thankfully my niece declined and continued a high risk pregnancy. They were born at 31w 5d and spent a few weeks in the NICU. They did have oxygen briefly and ng tubes because they weren't able to nurse for a few weeks. The girls are fine, the Dr was wrong. Thank God she chose to continue the pregnancy no matter what. She fought for her girls to give them a chance to thrive, to live.

Even if the diagnosis was correct she would've kept the twins. In many EE countries because of poverty keeping a child born with disabilities is not an option. 

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