Down Syndrome Diagnosis Increasingly Leads to Abortion, Parents Report Pressure
AMSTERDAM – A growing number of parents are choosing to terminate pregnancies after a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, and concerningly, many report feeling pressured by healthcare providers to do so, according to new research. The trend marks a significant shift from previous years, with a dramatic decrease in parents opting to continue pregnancies following a positive diagnosis.
Between 2018 and 2021, approximately 88 percent of pregnancies with a detected chromosomal deviation were terminated. Specifically, 1276 out of 1453 fetuses diagnosed with Down syndrome were aborted, data from the working group of prenatal diagnostics and therapy reveals.
This increase in terminations coincides with a decline in positive experiences during conversations with healthcare professionals about test results. Only 27 percent of respondents now describe these conversations as positive, a stark contrast to 50 percent in 2016 and 73 percent in 2009. Parents report midwives often immediately assume a discussion about termination is necessary. One parent stated, “The midwife almost immediately assumed that there would be a conversation about a termination of pregnancy.” Another reported a midwife assumed anyone undergoing Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) did not want a child with a disability.
Gert de Graaf, an employee of the Down syndrome Foundation and a researcher involved in the study, believes societal pressure plays a role.”We have to make sure that people think: I break the pregnancy, as everyone does that,” de Graaf stated. “There are many parents who look back on the conversations with care providers, but unfortunately we also hear stories from people who felt pressure to make a certain choice.”
Susanne Postma, an advisor at the NPV – take care of life advice line, notes that negative experiences are more frequently reported after consultations with gynecologists than with midwives. She emphasizes the importance of parents being prepared for the possibility of being asked about termination before opting for prenatal screening.
The research suggests that “both conscious and unconscious prejudices” among care providers may contribute to the low rate of parents choosing to continue pregnancies after a Down syndrome diagnosis.
