Down Syndrome Birth rate up in UK

A new study by the Down Syndrome Association in the UK has given Britain newspapers a lot to print about. Statistics show that after the widespread introduction in 1989 of pre-natal screening for Down syndrome, the number of babies born with the genetic condition fell from 717 a year to 594 at the beginning of 2000. But in 2006, births of babies with DS were up to 749. The Association completed a survey of 1,000 parents to find out why they had decided to continue their pregnancy despite a positive test result. The findings were interesting ..& very enlightening.

Twenty-five percent of the parents said that they already knew people with Down syndrome or other disabilities & that had influenced their decision to continue with the pregnancy. Thirty-five per cent said they felt that life & society had improved for people with Down syndrome, while almost half had not believed they would eventually have a child with Down syndrome, & so had continued with the pregnancy.

This study is important because it shows the importance of awareness campaigns & grass-roots movements by local support organizations across the United States. The NDSC has put together a national awareness campaign called "We’re More Alike than Different" which features young adults with Down syndrome. The real awareness starts (& acceptance of persons with Down syndrome begins), in the daycare, the preschool, the church pew, the soccer field, & in the workplace.