Advanced test for fetal abnormalities too costly for most women
Craig Butt, Sydney Morning Herald/The Age, 20th July 2015
A maternal blood test that determines fetal abnormalities early in pregnancy is too costly and should be made more widely available, a Medical Journal of Australia editorial argues.
However, women obtaining earlier knowledge of their child's gender and risk of conditions such as Down syndrome raises ethical concerns that the health system must be prepared to face, the editorial's authors warn.
The non-invasive prenatal test is carried out at about 10 weeks after blood is taken from the pregnant woman's arm. The sample contains the DNA of the fetus so doctors are able to determine its gender and risk of Down syndrome or other conditions.
The test has been available in Australia since 2012 but is not covered by Medicare. Women have to pay up to $900 for the test ...
How My Partner And I Protect Our Son From Sexual Abuse
Anne Penniston Grunsted, Role Reboot, 8th July 2015
As a victim of childhood sexual abuse, and now a mother to a 7-year-old boy, one of my driving motivations is to prevent victimhood from becoming a family tradition ... None of the advice on keeping a child safe accounts for a largely non-verbal child who relies on adult help ...
A Perfect Extra Chromosome, 12th July 2015
... The new mom was telling me that they received a pre-natal diagnosis and that all throughout her pregnancy, she was encouraged by doctors and medical professionals to terminate the pregnancy. As she was telling me this, I could feel my blood start to boil and my heart really did ache for this beautiful family. Mom is not from this country, so she has some difficulties expressing herself and getting out the right words, deemed to be a bit difficult. She was not able to stand up for herself in the way that she wanted to ...
Why Person-First Language Doesn’t Always Put the Person First
Emily Ladau, Think Inclusive, 20th July 2015
I vividly remember the first time I learned about person-first language (PFL). I was listening to a professor of special education speak to a group of students on disability “etiquette.” He handed out a sheet with rules on how to address or refer to a person if they had a disability. While lecturing, the professor seemed keen on calling me out, making me feel like a token, and prompting me to agree that when it came to disability, it was PFL or bust. I went along with it, but something didn’t sit well with me. I was born with my disability. It was news to me that calling myself a “disabled person” was an insult. It had always been just a fact of life, a part of who I was. And now, after all these years of calling myself what I am, here was an educator, who doesn’t even have a disability, telling me I had it all wrong.
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