UK's abortion rate due to Down syndrome diagnoses may be twice rate previously reported, study says

From The Daily Mail in the UK:

Twice as many unborn babies are being aborted because they have Down's syndrome as official figures disclose, an independent body revealed Nov. 9.

Doctors are trying to spare women's feelings at aborting a disabled child by failing to classify the termination as Down's, it was claimed.

Instead, they are recorded as 'social' abortions, which make up the bulk of terminations in the UK.

The National Down's Syndrome Cytogenetic Register said that over the last four years fewer than half of abortions of Down's babies were recorded properly.

Between 2004 and 2008, a total of 4,777 abortions were carried out on foetuses with the disability, with 1,032 terminated last year, it said.

In contrast, Department of Health figures show that between 2004 and 2008, a total of 2,168 Down's abortions were recorded, 436 of them last year.

The Down's register records all diagnoses of the syndrome and related chromosomal abnormalities.

Last night, its director warned that doctors were not properly recording abortions for Down's, and that the situation may become worse because the register is set to lose its funding.

Professor Joan Morris said: 'The Department of Health's figures on Down's terminations are wholly inaccurate.

'We don't know for sure why the abortion forms are so badly filled in, but we know our figures are right because we chase up every single diagnosis which we are notified about, giving us a 94 per cent accuracy rate.

'Our register is important because it gives a clear picture of what is happening in terms of the trends for Down's, and ensures that proper health care provision can be made for the babies born. When we close there will be no way of getting accurate data, as you cannot rely on Government statistics.'

The NDSCR, which is based at Queen Mary, University of London, gets the correct figures because each hospital genetic testing laboratory alerts the register every time a diagnosis of Down's is made.

Most cases are initially suspected after a scan at 12 weeks of pregnancy. For this to be confirmed, women may then choose to have an invasive womb test to provide tissue or fluid which can be checked in a laboratory for the extra chromosome which causes Down's.

Each confirmed case is tracked by researchers for the register via regional branches which liaise with doctors involved either in a birth of a Down's baby or a termination.

These anonymous cases are cross-matched with data from abortion forms and birth records to reveal what happened in each case. Department of Health figures are compiled using abortion forms which are filled in and signed by two doctors.
The Down's register, set up more than 20 years ago, is due to lose £125,000 annual funding from the NHS next March.

Professor Morris said there is an increasing incidence of Down's as pregnancies in over-40s increase.

Eminent obstetrician Professor Stuart Campbell said: 'Whether it is due to doctors trying to protect the feelings of women having an abortion for Down's or simply being slapdash, the fact that official figures on abortion are so inaccurate is a great concern.

'The NDSCR has an important role to play as the one thing we need is accurate data.'
A Department of Health spokesman said: 'The department takes the monitoring of the Abortion Act very seriously.

'It is a legal requirement for the medical practitioner who terminates a pregnancy to notify the Chief Medical Officer. Anyone operating outside the Act is committing a criminal offence.'