Can what a doctor says influence how a woman chooses?

Earlier this year, Brian Skotko, a student at Harvard Medical School, published papers in two academic journals, based on a survey of more than 1,000 mothers. The survey asked an unusual question: How were they told that their child had Down syndrome?

One woman said that after her baby was born in 2000, "the doctor flat out told my husband that this could have been prevented ... at an earlier stage." Of 141 women who learned through prenatal testing, many said they felt urged to terminate the pregnancies. One said that after learning her amniocentesis results, the doctor told her "our child would never be able to read, write or count change."

Mr. Skotko, whose sister has Down syndrome, saw his project swept up in a complicated debate over the termination of fetuses diagnosed with disabilities. It raised a provocative question: Can what a doctor says influence how a woman chooses?

Full article: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05276/581982.stm