Jason Monastra

My life and thoughts out on the web

I read recently that a fetal test for Down Syndrome has been developed which is non-evasive and offers no risk to the mother or babywhen tested.  This is a substantial increase over the former testing methods which jeopardized in rare cases the baby.  With this, people will be able to see their child and understand if they have the extra chromosome that causes the disease.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, I see this as a double edged sword.  There is no reference in the article to when the test can be administered, and due to the fact that the test is blood driven - reading imprints within the DNA, I imagine it be done early in the pregnancy.  My hope is that people will utilize this test to calm their minds or prepare for the challenges in raising a child with this condition.  The alternative is far more demonic, offering parents a clear view into the child’s genes to determine whether or not to abort the child.  With nearly 50 million babies aborted in this country since the legalization, the last thing we need is an easier check for parents to say “throw my kid away”.

Science is a great thing as it offers great benefits to all of humanity.  I believe that God has given people the ability to figure complex issues out and offer hope to people that were hopeless just a small time ago.  However, with anything that offers positive - the misuse of the technology can be very grave, turning the benefits of the solution into a darker corner where abuse and death occur.  I pray that in this situation that is not the case.