Buenos Aires, Argentina, Aug 9, 2013 / 11:16 am
The pro-life group ArgentinosAlerta has warned that a new test to detect Down Syndrome in unborn children after nine weeks of pregnancy could lead to an increase in abortions in the country.
While the test could help parents and doctors to be better prepared to care for a newborn child with a genetic defect, the organization warned that prenatal genetic testing "has regressed" to the point that it is usually used not to help the baby but to end his or her life.
The test requires a small blood sample from the mother in order to reveal the baby's sex and the presence of any genetic defects, including Down Syndrome.
ArgentinosAlerta recalled that the British Medical Journal published a study showing that in Great Britain between 1989 and 2008, more than 90 percent of babies who were diagnosed with Down Syndrome through pre-natal testing were aborted.