Autism and Down Syndrome in the News

Two special needs populations have been in the news over the last few weeks, each for a different reason. The never ending question of the link between autism and vaccines has still not been resolved despite the inability of scientists to duplicate results of the initial study published in the Lancet. More than six months after Andrew Wakefield's name was struck from the register of accredited physicians in the UK, there are still large numbers of people who stand behind his claim that MMR vaccines cause autism.

Extensive investigations undertaken by journalist Brian Deer reveal the whole truth behind the autism vaccine controversy, and the British Medical Journal is now publishing a series of articles written by Deer. This is much recommended reading, no matter what your stance on the role of vaccines in autism. This brief timeline of the autism vaccine controversy will help put things into perspective.

A blood test to screen for Down syndrome in the first trimester of pregnancy has been announced with much fanfare. Study authors claim the screening test could eliminate up to 98% of amniocentesis. The test has not yet been approved for clinical use, and is significantly more expensive than existing screening methods. It is also limited to detecting Down syndrome at the moment, though it seems logical the same technology could potentially be used to screen for other conditions in the future.

The test could mean earlier and safer screening for all pregnant women, not just those at higher risk. Universal screening, however, is not without its drawbacks. Some people fear doctors will take less care when it comes to informing women about their options, because a non-invasive screening is seen as routine compared to a procedure that could potentially cause miscarriage. Advocates for special needs populations also worry that earlier, safer testing could result in more women being pressured to abort fetuses found to have conditions such as Down syndrome.

There is no cure for either Down syndrome or autism, but people affected with these conditions can live long, happy, productive lives if given adequate support and education.

Medical Abortion on Law & Order: SVU

If you watch any of the Law & Order shows on a regular basis you have seen the disclaimer that says the characters and plots are works of fiction, but often the episodes do treat controversial legal, social or medical issues that are themselves based in fact. In a recent Law & Order: SVU episode entitled "Gray," Benson and Stabler investigate a college student accused of "gray rape" after he has sex with a drunk co-ed. In the course of the investigation the detectives of the Special Victims Unit discover the same student had also been accused of causing a miscarriage in his pregnant girlfriend against her will. The story is that he was a pre-med student and knew he could induce an abortion without her knowing, by using a homemade lubricant that contained the ulcer medication misoprostol.

So were the writers of this SVU episode using a good bit of creative license, or could a man actually cause his partner to miscarry without her knowing it?

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