Testimony on Amniocentesis by a Catholic Pro-Life Activist

Emory Scholar Blogs ^ | Sylvie Moscovitz

[CondoleezzaProtege]

Let me pose a difficult question: Who gets to determine who lives and who dies? Personally, I don’t think that any human has the right to do so. Human life is in the hands of God, and God only. But there are those who believe that people, specifically pregnant women, should be able to determine whether their unborn children deserve to live or not. As you all know, I am talking about genetic testing, specifically amniocentesis, and its link to a much greater problem, abortion. Ultimately, whenever a woman goes to a clinic for testing, she is considering aborting what she considers an unhealthy baby (even if the thought is just in the very back of her mind), and therefore, the administration of these tests must not be permitted, or at the very least, funded by the government.

Amniocentesis is a form of testing in which a large needle is stuck into the uterus of a woman fairly late into her pregnancy to test her amniotic fluid for chromosomal defects and genetic disorders…The idea of selective abortion, or late abortion that is due to a diagnosis, comes out of these tests. It forces women to avert their eyes to the fact that they are debating ending a life.

For one, this sounds quite a bit like eugenics. No individual person is more important or more powerful than another, so nobody has the right to control which types of people get to live and which do not…This is morally wrong. Human beings do not have the agency to decide who gets to be born. This is God’s domain.

I believe that it is better not to bear the burden of knowledge of whether one’s unborn child does or doesn’t have a chromosomal disability. Firstly, these disabilities manifest in different ways, and…

[Scrambler Bob]

to test her amniotic fluid for chromosomal defects and genetic disorders
= = =

It is also used to determine the maturity of the baby.

[metmom]

But that’s not its primary purpose.

I was offered it once with my first pregnancy.

I asked the NP if that was the test to check for Down’s Syndrome, and she said yes. I told her that no, I would not be taking it because abortion was NOT an option.

She looked me in the eye and said *I wish more people felt like you*. and that was the end of it. She must have marked by chart somehow because with my subsequent pregnancies, they never asked again.

That practice refused to do abortions and the hospital where I had the babies didn’t do them and they had an astoundingly low infant mortality rate.

IMO, God blessed them for that.

[If You Want It Fixed - Fix It]

Some good people want to know, to prepare ahead for a downs child. Most like us leave it in God’s hands and will deal with whatever He permits when the baby is born.

But sure, 90% of people will freak and kill the child so they wont have to feel sorry for themselves and struggle more, not trusting in God.

[yldstrk]

I also turned down amniocentesis because abortion was not an option for me.

[metmom]

God bless you for that, too.

[Svartalfiar]

I also turned down amniocentesis because abortion was not an option for me.

Amniocentesis doesn't automatically mean abortion... There's several other things they determine, and even if it shows a chance for deformities, it helps to be prepared for it.