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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: Down Syndrome

Down Syndrome stories: 13 news summaries

Down Syndrome on Decline as Moms Abort

Trend bucks statistics, raises fears that funding will dry up

Nov 2, 09 1:26 PM CST
(Newser) - With women waiting longer to have children, the number of Down syndrome cases in the US ought to be on the rise—advanced maternal age increases Down syndrome risk. But instead it fell 15% from 1989 to 2005, ABC News reports. The reason: prenatal screenings. Roughly 92% of women who... More »

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abortion • genetic screening • genetic defects • Down Syndrome • women's issues

(Newser) - Amniocentesis may become a thing of the past, as new procedures are developed that can non-invasively but definitively test for Down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities, writes Amanda Schaffer for DoubleX. The procedures, expected to be available in the next few years, take advantage of a recent discovery: Early in... More »

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pregnancy • mothers • fetus • Down Syndrome • women's issues • amniocentesis

 Fetuses Form Memories: Study 

At 30 weeks, have 10-minute memory

Jul 16, 09 10:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - Fetuses can form memories, an important indicator of nervous-system maturation that may help doctors detect developmental problems, Dutch researchers say. Fetuses exposed to sound and vibration for 1 second every 30 seconds became accustomed to the stimuli, a process known as habituation. "Habituation is a form of learning,"... More »

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pregnancy • memory • parenting • study • research • fetus • prenatal care • Down Syndrome • pregnant women • babies

 Down Syndrome Gene 
 Holds Cancer Clue 

Downs patients long seen to have lower deadly tumor risk

Jun 1, 09 11:39 AM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists have noticed for years that Down syndrome patients are far less likely to die from solid tumors—and now, scientists in Boston think they know why. Down syndrome patients’ extra chromosome holds a gene that helps cut blood flow to tumors, restricting their growth, the Globe reports. “Individuals... More »

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cancer • genetics • tumor • genetic research • genetic abnormalities • Down Syndrome • malignant tumor

(Newser) - Sarah Palin continues to inadvertently make pro-choice arguments as she campaigns for a ban on abortion, Ruth Marcus writes in the Washington Post. After revealing that she twice considered aborting son Trig, Palin said “I do understand what these women, what these girls go through in that thought... More »

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abortion • pregnancy • Right to Life • Sarah Palin • Bristol Palin • Trig Palin • Down Syndrome • personal choice

Palin Visits Midwest,
Blasts Obama

In speech to right-to-life group, gov gets emotional over Trig

Apr 17, 09 11:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - Amid complaints from the Alaska legislature that she's is spending more time cultivating her image than running her state, Sarah Palin gave a rousing speech before a right-to-life group in Indiana last night the Evansville Courier & Press reports. Speaking of her son Trig, whom she called "a miracle,... More »

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stem cell research • abortion • adoption • Sarah Palin • Trig Palin • Down Syndrome • President Obama

Safer Down Syndrome Tests Give Birth to Ethics Fears

Procedures look safer, more accurate, but raise ethics concerns

Feb 24, 09 11:23 AM CST
(Newser) - New tests to detect Down syndrome early in pregnancy look highly promising to some experts—but they’re prompting new ethical and medical questions, the Washington Post reports. The procedures, to be publicly available in June, appear safer and more accurate than current options. But Down syndrome and anti-abortion activists... More »

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abortion • genetic testing • prenatal care • medical ethics • Down Syndrome

tv review

 New MTV News Show 
 Puts Disabled in Control 

New MTV show a surprising success

Feb 5, 09 7:13 PM CST
(Newser) - A new MTV show that features the mentally disabled interviewing celebs and average folks, isn’t as offensive as it sounds, Ellen Gray writes in the Philadelphia Daily News. The show—How's Your News? from South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, is actually an inclusive endeavor that proves... More »

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television • disabled • celebrity • disability • Trey Parker • Matt Stone • Down Syndrome

OPINION

 Palin's Critics Bitter 
 Over Own Abortions 

'Grief, shame, and guilt' spur attacks on Republican candidate

Oct 24, 08 4:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - The attacks lobbed at Sarah Palin have less to do with the candidate herself and more with the shame, guilt, and grief of the post-abortion community, the co-founder of an anti-abortion group writes in the National Review. Kevin Burke says Palin inspires such vitriol because she chose to have a... More »

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abortion • pregnancy • prenatal care • Election 2008 • Sarah Palin • Bristol Palin • Trig Palin • Down Syndrome

Down Syndrome Teen Voted Homecoming Queen

'Her smile was as big as Texas,' aunt says

Oct 15, 08 5:02 AM CDT
(Newser) - There wasn't a dry eye in the house when a Texas football stadium erupted into wild cheers last weekend to honor their homecoming queen, a pretty 18-year-old high school senior with Down syndrome. "Her smile was as big as the state of Texas," queen Kristin Pass' aunt told... More »

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high school • Texas • football • teenager • Down Syndrome • high school football • homecoming • homecoming queen

New Prenatal Gene Test Proves Safer

Checks mom's blood for defects without miscarriage risk

Oct 7, 08 3:41 AM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists have developed a prenatal test for genetic defects much safer than the ones currently in use, reports the San Jose Mercury News. Methods like amniocentesis can spot chromosomal disorders like Down Syndrome, but involve inserting a needle into the uterus, which carries close to a 1-in-200 risk of miscarriage.... More »

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pregnancy • genetic testing • DNA • prenatal care • miscarriage • chromosomal disorders • genetic defects • Down Syndrome

OPINION

 Time to Ditch the Word 'Retard'? 


Sep 21, 08 2:26 PM CDT
(Newser) - Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder is just the latest example of how the word "retard" has become a pop-culture phenom, but the movie also has served as a catalyst for disability advocates who claim that the word is offensive and must go, writes Lynn Harris in Salon. Are they right?... More »

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disability • hate speech • Tropic Thunder • disability rights • Down Syndrome

Would-Be Dads Have Ticking Clock, Too

Men's age can affect ability to conceive earlier than women's

Sep 10, 08 1:12 PM CDT
(Newser) - When a couple has trouble conceiving, don't necessarily blame the woman and her limited supply of eggs—men's fertility starts dropping even before women's, Time reports. In addition to fecundity issues, older men also risk siring children with higher rates of autism, schizophrenia, Down syndrome and bipolar disorder. Male fertility... More »

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fertility • sperm • autism • schizophrenia • testosterone • bipolar disorder • male fertility • Down Syndrome

13 Stories


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