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Monday, August 4, 2014

“Chloe’s Law” will Provide Expectant Mothers with Information about Down Syndrome



By Mark Bradford, President,
Jérôme Lejeune Foundation, USA

Pennsylvania’s law, as is true with the majority of other state laws, reflects the common ground first established in the 2008 federal legislation, the Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act. That Act was co-sponsored by Senators Kennedy and Brownback, again showing the common ground agreement that women should receive all of the information recommended by professional guidelines.On July 18, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett signed into law the “Down Syndrome Prenatal and Postnatal Education Act” commonly known as “Chloe’s Law.” Pennsylvania became the 7th state to implement legislation intended to provide to new and expectant parents “Up-to-date, evidence-based information about Down syndrome that has been reviewed by medical experts and national Down syndrome organizations” and also “contact information regarding First Call programs and support services.”
The need for Chloe’s law is two-fold: [1] the Kennedy-Brownback Act has never been funded or implemented, which is why states have taken on state-level measures; and [2] while professional guidelines recommend offering prenatal testing for Down syndrome to all patients, those same guidelines recommend that patients receive up-to-date, accurate information about Down syndrome and referral to parent support organizations, but that is not happening with the same regularity as the offering of prenatal testing.


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