This week (24/11/08) the Down Syndrome Association (DSA) in the UK has highlighted a 15% increase in the number of children born with Down syndrome since 2000.  Currently 749 children are born annually, indicating that, on average, two children per day are born with Down syndrome in the UK.

In 1989, figures showed that 717 children with Ds were born. However, this was just as the introduction of pre-natal screening availability become widespread in the UK and as parents gained access to the option of an early diagnosis, the numbers of births fell off to 594 at the start of this decade.

But since 2000, it would appear that parents have been choosing to proceed with pregnancies, regardless of receiving a positive pre-natal diagnosis for Down syndrome and in 2006, the number of children born with the condition had risen by 15% to 594.  

To discover why more women are opting to continue with their pregnancies, despite receiving an early screening diagnosis, the DSA consulted 1000 of it's members. While religious or pro-life beliefs are given in around a third of cases, there are other factors identified by parents:

• Many believe that future quality of life for those born with Ds will be better and that people with Down syndrome are more accepted in society. 
• 25% said they already knew people with Ds or other disabilities
• 35% felt that life had changed and improved for people with Ds
• Over 50% of those consulted said they did not believe they would have a child with Ds and so continued on with the pregnancy.

Parents' comments included:

  "I already felt a strong sense of responsibility for my unborn child and knew that I would love it and want it regardless of any additional needs it might have. I knew I could count on friends and family for support".

  "I don't subscribe to the notion of the 'perfect human being' and found the idea of selecting one child in preference to another, abhorrent".

The Brownback Bill

This news coincides with the passing of a Senate bill in the US via unanimous consent, that is designed to help reduce the number of terminations of babies with Down syndrome and other conditions by requiring that doctors will have to provide more comprehensive information to expectant mothers who receive a diagnosis of Down syndrome or other conditions.

The bill has been championed by Senator Sam Brownback with the support of Senator Ted Kennedy. Between 80 - 90% of US women who learn they are carrying a fetus with Down syndrome opt for termination and it is hoped that the introduction of these measures will encourage women to maintain their pregnancy regardless of a positive diagnosis of Down syndrome or other conditions.

 Entitled "The Pre-natally and Post-natally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act", it will provide for the expansion and further development of a national information for parents, the expansion and development of a national and local peer-support programmes and the creation of a national registry of families willing to adopt children with pre or post-natally diagnosed conditions.